Warriors of Light and Shadow
by Storm Bringer
Summary: The forces of light and shadow clash in a war over possession of a powerful artifact. At the center of that war stand two warriors who have lost everything. They are the key to this world’s survival…They are the key to each other’s survival. A Sailo
1. Ronin

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 1: Ronin

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG 13

e-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: This is a Ranma, Sailor Moon crossover… I decided there just weren't enough of these out there. The time line is as follows: For Ranma, the end of the series although this will have little bearing on the story. For Sailor Moon it's at the very end of SMS when Neptune and Uranus challenge Sailor Moon's claim as Princess. 

Disclaimer: …What am I supposed to say here, I forgot. Let's see…This can't kill, so I don't have to warn people against that. It's not flammable. It's not dangerous if ingested. Hmmm… Oh yeah! I don't own the characters! Duh, stupid me!

******

Lead gray clouds filled the sky, obscuring the sun and casting a dark pall over the city of Tokyo. The distant rumbling of thunder seemed like an ominous tiding to many who heard it on that bleak, dreary day. It was like the voice of some divine being giving warning to the inhabitants of the great city that the end was near. Or perhaps the words were for the entire world, but whomever they were for, no one listened so in the end it did not matter.

That was not entirely true, there were two people who heard the words rolling along with the thunder. They heard them, but knew not what they portended. It was only a feeling deep in their bones, a feeling that something dark and ugly was approaching. But as of late their lives had become dark and ugly things, so they chose to pay the warning no heed. If death came, they both believed they would welcome it with open arms.

One of those two people was a young man who stood on the bank of one of the many canals running through Tokyo. In one hand he grasped the hilt of a broken katana, the blade having been snapped off a little over halfway to the tip. It was a blade of exquisite quality and there were few things in the world that could have broken it, but break it had. The deep crimson of dried blood marred its fine, silver sheen.

To the young man, that broken blade represented an ending. The life he had known was over, he had nothing left except the broken katana and the clothes on his back. He did not even have a name any longer.

The over laden clouds hanging in the sky finally chose to drop their heavy loads. Rain poured down over the city, soaking the young man in seconds, changing him from he to she, and matting his long hair, changing it from black to red. She seemed to take no note of it though. She just held her broken sword and stared into the murky waters of the canal as though they held the answers she was desperately seeking.

They did not.

******

-One day earlier, Nerima district-

"Ainen!" Ranma tried to dodge the flying figure of Shampoo, but she was already on top of him. "Wo ai ni!" She held him tenderly, but tight enough that he couldn't get away. She snuggled up next to him, slowly moving closer to his face.

"C'mon Shampoo! Get off a me!" She responded to his protests by trying to plant a kiss on his lips. He managed to turn his head enough so that she only caught his cheek. "I said knock it off!" he shouted forcing her arms from around him.

"Ranma Saotome how dare you take advantage of my Shampoo!" Ranma looked from Shampoo to Mousse and back again, and realized that the hold he had on her wrists made it look like he was forcing her into something she didn't want.

"Oh C'mon! It's not what it looks like!"

"Silence user of woman!" Mousse sent a volley of sharp pointy things flying at the pig-tailed martial artist. He dodged the weapon master's attack and used it as a barrier to distance himself from Shampoo as well. 

"Will you stop already! I told ya nothing happened!" Something large and hard came out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Ranma's head. He was sent reeling and bright spots of color danced across his eyes. When his vision cleared he found himself on his knees staring at Ryoga's feet.

"How dare you cheat on Akane, Ranma!"

"What the hell are you talking about?! I wasn't doing nothing!"

"So you say, but the mark of another woman's lips upon your cheek says otherwise." Ranma suddenly remembered Shampoo's kiss. _Damn! She must have been wearing lipstick._ Before he could explain what had happened, though, Ryoga's foot connected with his face.

Ranma slammed into a wall leaving a rather large impression in it as he slid to the ground. He was getting sick and tired of this. Not just this fight, but all of the fights. It was like this every day. He'd do something completely unintentional and end up fighting half of Nerima. He didn't mind fighting occasionally and a daily sparring match between someone could be fun, but this was ridiculous. The only thing that could make today worse would be the arrival of Ukyou or Akane.

As if his thoughts had summoned her, several of the okonomiyaki chef's spatulas imbedded themselves in the stone next to his head. This day just kept getting better and better. "I see you've taken to cavorting with Shampoo now Ranma honey. Looks like I'm going to have to make sure you remember who your real fiancée is."

"You no is Ranma fiancee! Shampoo is only woman for Ranma." 

Ukyou shot Shampoo a fiery glare. "We'll just see about that sugar." The two girls began fighting, but Ranma wasn't able to take advantage of the situation because now Mousse and Ryoga were splitting up to try and catch him in a pincer attack. Realizing that this was going to be a very long day, Ranma jumped to his feet and prepared to defend himself.

******

Late that evening a very tired, very hurt Ranma arrived at the Tendou dojo. His fight with Ryoga and Mousse hadn't gone very well. They seemed to be getting better and better and he seemed to be losing his edge. He knew the reason he was losing his fighting instinct was because he was tired of it all. Tired of the never-ending battles, tired of the challenges he was constantly receiving from people wanting to fight the best, tired of all the women who seemed to think he belonged to them. He just wanted to rest.

He stumbled through the door and the first thing he got was an irate Akane in his face. "Where have you been Ranma?" she demanded.

"Ryoga and Mousse jumped me," he explained. "I had to dunk them in a canal before they finally gave up." Feeling he had fully explained his tardiness, Ranma moved to go around Akane. He stopped when he noticed she had the 'I'm going to hit Ranma' look in her eyes. He wondered what he had done this time.

"So you were out fighting huh? Then what's that on your cheek Ranma?"

Ranma groaned. He had completely forgotten about Shampoo's kiss and apparently the lipstick hadn't come off in the fight. "I can explain that. You see Shampoo—"

"So it was Shampoo huh!" shouted Akane, cutting him off. "One of your cute fiancee's! Why didn't you go to her with your injuries and story of being picked on by big bad Ryoga and Mousse?"

Normally Ranma would have hit back with something sarcastic and rude, but

tonight he just wasn't in the mood for the bickering he and Akane were constantly engaged in. Looking down at her, he wondered if she truly thought so little of him. It wasn't like he had gone out of his way to attract fiancees and enemies, and he certainly hadn't encouraged them once they had shown up. Without saying a word, Ranma simply limped past Akane.

"Where are you going now?" Akane's tone had lost a bit of its edge and was now tinged with confusion. It wasn't like Ranma to simply ignore her barbs.

"To take a bath," he responded in a weary tone. "I'm tired and I hurt, so I'm gonna take a bath and go to bed. Good night."

Once in the bathtub, Ranma felt the aches in his muscles dissipate and the knots in his shoulders fade away to nothing. The warm water relaxed him, made him forget about the day's events. For a time he was able to soak peacefully, his mind drifting off to places where life was not a constant battle. But inevitably his mind returned to reality, to the difficult task of finding a solution to his current problems.

Despite what many people believed, Ranma was not in fact stupid. He was simply ignorant of a great many things. Since the day of his birth, Ranma's life had been laid out before him by his parents. He was to be a man among men, a warrior whose skills and abilities would be unrivaled. He would marry the daughter of his father's good friend Soun and carry on the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. He would bring great honor to both families. No one had ever bothered to ask him if this was what he wanted.

Ranma was a fighter because he had never been given the chance to be anything else. Fighting and the martial arts didn't necessarily disagree with him, it was just the constant fighting that he disliked so much. His knowledge of things other than fighting was limited due to the nomadic like lifestyle he had lived for a good ten years of his life. Being dragged from place to place and being enrolled in a ton of different schools had done little to help his education or social skills. 

And now he was here in Nerima, considered by many to be either an enemy or the love of their life. This was where he was supposed to spend the rest of his life, happily married to Akane. Yeah, right.

Ranma pulled himself out of the tub with a sigh, wrapping a towel around his waist in case someone decided to blunder in as they often seemed to around here. He had the solution to his problem, had had it for some time actually. He just had to implement it, and tonight was as good a time as any. It was time for him to take back control of his life.

But, like many things, that was easier said then done. Ranma had faced many challenges throughout his life, many of them requiring great courage. Courage was something Ranma had plenty of, but even he had to wonder if he had enough to get himself through what had to be said tonight. In the end he supposed it didn't matter. If he was going to ever be happy then it would simply have to be said.

Ranma dressed hastily and went downstairs where he found everyone gathered in the dining room as he knew they all would be. His father and Soun were playing shogi, his mother was talking quietly with Kasumi, Nabiki was going over the dojo's financial records, and Akane was reading a book. Everyone but Akane looked up as he entered the room and stopped just inside.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma said, "I've got somethin' I've gotta say." Everyone just stared at him and for an instant, with all those eyes on him, he nearly lost his composure.

"Make it quick Saotome," said Nabiki. "I'm almost finished with this and I need to get my beauty sleep tonight."

"Um…" Nothing more came out.

"Speak up boy! What have I taught you about mumbling?"

Ranma took another deep breath. "I was thinking and-"

Nabiki smirked. "You're just full of surprises aren't you."

Glaring at Nabiki, Ranma began again. "I was thinking and, well, I've given this a lot of thought, and," a third deep breath. "I've decided I'm not gonna marry Akane." Silence. "Don't get me wrong. I don't not like you or anything Akane, I just don't want to marry you." More silence. "Sooooo, that's pretty much all I gotta say." Lot's of noise.

"You _will_ marry my daughter!"

"So you've decided to marry one of your cute fiancee's then, huh Ranma!?"

"You're not thinking this through boy! What are we going to do for food and shelter if you refuse to marry Akane?"

"Oh my."

"Well Saotome, maybe you really can think for yourself."

"This is a matter of family honor Ranma! You can't simply walk away from your obligations."

"NO!" Silence fell once again. "No, Mr. Tendou, I will not marry your daughter. No, Akane, I'm not marrying Shampoo or Ukyou. And no, mom, this is not my obligation. This is your obligation. You and pops made the promise, not me. I'm through with it, I'm through with it all."

Nodoka's hand strayed towards her ever-present katana. "Will you forsake honor then, Ranma? Will you stain the Saotome name? Will you go against the wishes of your parents?"

"Yes, I will go against your wishes because they're not mine. My life is my own and I intend to live it that way."

Nodoka stiffened. "We will discuss this in the morning."

"If you want, but tomorrow I'm leaving and nothing you can say will change that." Without another word he turned on his heels and walked away leaving stunned silence behind him. When he reached his room he shut the door and leaned against it with a sigh.

It was over. He had said the words and made the commitment. No one was happy with him, but that was to be expected. Even now they were probably down there trying to come up with a plan to keep him here in the morning. Well, maybe not Akane. She was probably happy with his decision. He hoped she was, he really didn't want to hurt her. Akane was almost like a sister to him.

The next morning Ranma felt nervous from the moment he woke up. Normally he slept late, even on school days, but today he was up with the rising of the sun. He stayed in his room for a long time, staring out the window and prepping his mental defenses. Ranma vowed silently to himself that nothing said or done this day would deter him from his chosen course.

Trepidation slowed his steps as he descended for breakfast. Food didn't sound too appealing to him right then, but Ranma didn't really expect that he'd be eating much that morning. He doubted they would give him a chance. 

Ranma found everyone gathered in the dining room just like last night, and just like last night he stopped just inside the entranceway. Everyone but Kasumi and Nabiki gave him a stony look when he entered. Kasumi seemed to be her usual cheerful self and Nabiki actually gave him a half smile and a look of sympathy. Nodoka's katana was lying on the table unsheathed, not a good sign. 

The words 'trial by fire' suddenly popped into Ranma's head.

"Good morning," he greeted, trying to keep his voice cheerful. 

"Son," returned his mother without any attempt at cheerfulness. "We have something to discuss."

Ranma heaved a sigh. "No, we don't. I told you last night, nothing you can say will change my mind."

Nodoka's palm smacked the table and everybody jumped. Genma looked uneasy. "You know the terms of the agreement, Ranma. The penalty for breaking it is severe."

"Then you're in real trouble aren't ya!" he snapped. "I already told ya I didn't agree to nothin'. This is your grave you dug, you lie in it! I'm outta here!"

"How dare you speak to me that way!" Anger smoldered in Nodoka's eyes. "I'm your mother!"

"Feh, some mother you are!" Nodoka's eyes widened in indignation at this statement, but Ranma went on before she could say anything. "First you make some lame ass deal to marry me off to someone I don't even know, then you send me off with my honorless dog of a father for ten years of my life! When I finally see you again I have to hide for fear of my life, and when I finally do get to know you, all you can talk about is my duty to the family name! Well I say screw the family name!"

By this time Nodoka was visibly shaking with barely contained rage, her face mottled with anger. Everyone else—even Kasumi—was staring at Ranma with wide eyes, unable to believe that he had just said what he said. Genma's eyes showed more than a bit of fear as his gaze turned to his wife.

When Nodoka finally spoke her voice was like ice. "You have brought so much shame upon yourself this day that I do not know if it is possible for you to remove the stain that clouds your soul." She gestured to the unsheathed blade. "You may try though."

Now it was Ranma's turn to shake with rage. His mother still did not understand, was still locked in the past. Well then, he would make her understand.

Two steps took Ranma to the table where he snatched the katana from where it lay. For an instant relief showed in Nodoka's features, and then she got a good look at Ranma's face. Without taking his eyes off of his mother, Ranma raised the sword above his head, and brought it point first down on the table. With his strength and the blades razor sharp edge it passed all the way through easily, but he stopped it from going all the way to the hilt, leaving a little over half of it still sticking up out of the table.

"This is what I think of your honor and your shame," stated Ranma firmly.

Gripping the hilt with both hands, Ranma pulled the trapped katana towards himself. His intent had been to simply bend it, make it unusable by anyone. There must have been a flaw in the metal though, or perhaps he did not know how strong he had truly become over the years, because instead of bending, the blade snapped in two. Ranma stumbled backwards, staring at the jagged tip in amazement.

"What have you done!?" shrieked his mother, leaping to her feet. Holding the katana up before himself, Ranma just looked at her. "You do not deserve to be part of my family," growled Nodoka. "This day I here by strip you of the name Saotome! You are no longer my son!"

Exclamations of shock and gasps of surprise met this proclamation. Ranma didn't understand that. They had all been expecting him to either give in or commit seppuku, and yet this act stunned them all. In that instant he despised them all for their foolishness.

"Fine," he stated coldly. Reaching up, he gripped the blade of the katana with his bare hand and drew it along his palm, leaving a streak of his own blood from hilt to jagged tip. Flinging his injured hand forward, Ranma splattered Nodoka's face and clothing with his blood. "Take my name, but take my blood as well. Best if there's nothin' of you left in me."

Then, without a backward glance, Ranma left with the broken katana still in hand. He didn't bother to retrieve any of his stuff from his room, or take any food from the kitchen. He just walked out—and didn't come back.

The full impact of what he had done would hit him later. He finally had his freedom, but it had come at a very high price. Ranma no longer had family, or friends, or even a place to sleep at night. Now he was alone, completely alone. That thought left an empty feeling deep in his soul and he was forced to wonder if he had made the right decision.

******

Please tell me what you think. The Sailor Moon aspect will be introduced in the next chapter, which should be out fairly quickly.


	2. A Princess Falls

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 2: A Princess Falls

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG 13

e-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: As I said in the first chapter, the SM aspect of this story begins at the end of SMS when Neptune and Uranus challenge Sailor Moon's ability to act as leader. The end of this fight, along with a few other small things, has been altered and those changes are all included in the story itself. Just keep repeating "divergent realities" over and over again as you read. One last thing, I'm really a very slow writer and the quick posting of this chapter was only a fluke. You have been warned…

Disclaimer: Flammable. Do not spray near flame or while smoking. Avoid spraying in eyes. Contents under pressure. The characters within this product do not belong to me.

******

****

Lead gray clouds filled the sky, obscuring the sun and casting a dark pall over the city of Tokyo. The distant rumbling of thunder seemed like an ominous tiding to many who heard it on that bleak, dreary day. It was like the voice of some divine being giving warning to the inhabitants of the great city that the end was near. Or perhaps the words were for the entire world, but whomever they were for, no one listened so in the end it did not matter.

That was not entirely true, there were two people who heard the words rolling along with the thunder. They heard them, but knew not what they portended. It was only a feeling deep in their bones, a feeling that something dark and ugly was approaching. But as of late their lives had become dark and ugly things, so they chose to pay the warning no heed. If death came, they both believed they would welcome it with open arms.

One of those two people was a young woman trudging down a small street, her eyes fixed on the ground at her feet. The area around one of those eyes was slightly puffy and it was beginning to darken. There would be a large bruise there tomorrow, but that didn't bother her much. She felt that a black eye would fit right in with her shattered heart and torn soul.

It seemed to her that in one moment of weakness she had lost everything. Her friends, the man she loved, even her destiny had been ripped from her fingers. The young woman's hand tightened over the one thing she had managed to salvage, the one thing she would not surrender until she died. To the unknowing observer, it was only a simple brooch, but she knew that with the object the brooch contained she could forge a new destiny.

It began to rain then. The young woman's blond hair darkened as it became wet, turning to gold. She paid the storm no mind, the storm raging in her soul being the far more terrible of the two. Even the thunder that normally sent her running in fear could not touch her this day. She continued to slog down the street, searching her heart and soul for answers.

She found none.

******

-One week earlier-

Sailor Moon stood across from Sailor's Uranus and Neptune. Why did it have to be like this, she wondered. Why did they have to be so obstinate? Behind her she could feel the reassuring presence of her friends. Not so much so since she had ordered them to remain out of this fight, but it was still nice to know they were there.

"So the heroine has finally shown up," said Sailor Uranus with a sarcastic smile.

"We'll show you no mercy," stated Sailor Neptune coolly. A glint in her eye was the only warning Sailor Moon had. "Deep Submerge!"

The blue sphere struck Sailor Moon in the chest, knocking the breath from her lungs and hurling her backwards. Her back slammed into a chunk of concrete and she slumped to the ground with a muffled groan. Shouts from her friends rang through the air and out of the corner of her eye she saw them running towards her.

"No," she said softly. They must not interfere.

A red rose struck the ground between the charging Senshi and their leader, effectively halting their headlong flight. Everyone turned to see Tuxedo Mask standing atop a girder protruding length wise from a pile of rubble.

"Sometimes it is necessary to fight each other to understand one another," he stated in a strong voice that carried to everyone gathered. "You should stay out of this battle."

The Senshi hesitated for a moment, then nodded to themselves and stood where they were. Their faces were grim though, and anger showed in more than one eye when their gazes turned to Uranus and Neptune. Gritting her teeth, Sailor Moon pushed herself to her feet.

"I think she's going to cry," smirked Uranus.

"You should stay down, Little Princess," added Neptune.

Sailor Uranus' hand came up suddenly. "World Shaking!"  
Sailor Moon was ready this time, dodging aside as the yellow-orange blast zipped past her and exploded against the chunk of concrete she had been thrown against earlier. The explosion caused dust and rubble to be flung everywhere, cutting off her view of Uranus and Neptune. But at the same time they could not see her either.

"Where is she?" growled Uranus when the dust had cleared revealing that Sailor Moon had vanished.

"Behind you!" shouted Neptune.

Whirling, Uranus found Sailor Moon standing directly behind her with a sad look on her face. Sailor Moon made no move to attack, but that didn't stop Uranus, she launched herself at the Moon Princess with a flurry of kicks and punches. Hand to hand combat was not something Sailor Moon was overly familiar with, but she did what she could to defend herself from the assault, taking several blows to her face and body for her inadequate efforts.

"Please stop this," she begged, still continuing to retreat and defend. "We don't need to do this!"  
Surprisingly, Uranus did halt her assault then, but not for the reasons Sailor Moon first suspected. Strong hands closed around Sailor Moon from behind, pinning her arms to her side and keeping her from moving. Throwing a furtive look over her shoulder, Sailor Moon saw Neptune standing there with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"This is it!" roared Uranus as she charge forward, intent on finishing what she had started.

Sailor Moon watched her come and for an instant she thought she felt something, a power rising out of her soul. It warmed her, gave her the strength she would need to fight back. But as suddenly as it had come it was gone, vanishing like smoke on the wind. In that instant she knew that it was over, that this day she would fall. 

The blow struck by Uranus snapped Sailor Moon's head around and sent blood spraying from her mouth. Neptune released her and she fell to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. She lay there in the dirt, curled up in a little ball shaking silently as she cried tears that would not stop. Why had the power deserted her? Why had she failed in this, perhaps her most important task?

"Pathetic," spat Sailor Uranus.

"Now you know the truth of what we said," stated Neptune. "You are too weak to be our ruler."

"Enough!" shouted Tuxedo Mask. He walked over and knelt down next to the fallen Sailor Moon. "You have made your point, for what it's worth. It's time for you to go."

Sailor Uranus nodded. "Yes, we will go. But we'll return. Since she is not the Princess, the one who must fill the role is still out there."

"We will give you one week," continued Neptune, "to find the true Princess. Perhaps she is one of these others. If you do not find her, then we will take the Ginzuishou and find her ourselves."

The two of them departed then, bounding over the rubble of what had once been the Infinity College. The other Senshi could only watch them go, not knowing what to say to such an absurd proclamation. They gathered around their fallen leader, looking down at her in sympathy, but also with a touch of confusion. She had been proclaimed as their Princess, but now they began to have doubts. 

Was Usagi Tsukino really the one destined to be Queen Serenity? They just didn't know anymore.

******

Usagi sat alone in the darkened room holding a pack of ice against her split lip while trying to hold very still. Her head throbbed and moving too much made the world around her dance and sway in ways it had never been meant to. This strange phenomenon —she had dubbed it the 'Swirly World Effect'—had the unpleasant effect of making her very nauseous and so she tried to avoid moving as much as possible. The lack of strong light in the room helped as well.

Ami had said Usagi didn't have a concussion, but that she had been shaken up pretty badly during the fight and it would take some time for her to recover fully. Of course, that was only speaking physically. Mentally she was more than just shaken up. Mentally she had been plunged into a blender. Confusion, doubt, sadness, all these things swirled around inside her head creating a maelstrom of despair.

The Ginzuishou had failed to heed her call, leaving her defenseless in the face of danger. Sailors Neptune and Uranus had defeated her—with ease. Why, she kept asking herself over and over again. The crystal had chosen her, she was the rightful Princess. Or was she?

No! She had to have faith in herself. She _was_ the Princess.

"How are you feeling?"

Usagi turned to see Mamoru kneeling down next to her. He seemed to list to the left slightly as the rest of the room tilted to the right and the ceiling rippled like it was a pool of water into which a stone had been tossed. She had turned her head too fast, kicking the Swirly World Effect into action. Usagi stifled a groan and shut her eyes in an attempt to blot out the nauseating sight. 

"The world keeps spinning," she mumbled.

Mamoru draped one arm around her, and his warmth and closeness comforted her. "I'm sure you'll be better in the morning," he said soothingly. "Rei called your mom for you and she agreed to let you spend the night here at the shrine so you don't have to worry about making the trip home."

Usagi smiled from behind her ice pack. "That was nice of her. Now I have time to come up with an excuse for all these bruises. It's a good thing everyone knows I'm clumsy, huh?"

Mamoru chuckled softy. "I'm sure by tomorrow the bruises will be mostly gone. But you need to get as much rest as possible tonight. You should go to bed soon."

Nodding—very slowly—in agreement Usagi said, "You're right. Right now I feel tired enough to sleep for a week."

Mamoru wished her a good night and then stood to go. Usagi hesitated for a moment, waited until he had almost left the room before she called out to him. The events of the day had shaken her faith and there was something Usagi had to know before she would be able to sleep peacefully.

"Mamoru," she began hesitantly. "Do you… do you love me?"

He hesitated for only a half second before answering. If she hadn't been watching for it, watching for any sign, Usagi would not have noticed Mamoru's hesitation. Why had he hesitated? Was it because he didn't love her? _No,_ she thought bitterly, _it's because he doesn't know if he loves me. He's destined to marry the Moon Princess and that's what he'll do. He'll love her because it's his _duty_ to love her._

"Of course I love you," said Mamoru, but Usagi heard the lack of warmth in his voice. "Now get some sleep, okay."

Mamoru left then, returning to the adjoining room where the others were. Usagi could hear the low buzz of her friend's voices as they discussed what had happened earlier that day. Before, she had been interested in trying to make out what was being said, but now it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. 

Letting the ice pack fall away, Usagi slid out of her chair and crawled over to the futon and blankets laid out on the floor for her. Curling up into a little ball she fought back the tears threatening to spring from her eyes. They leaked out of her tightly shut lids though, ran down her cheeks and soaked her pillow. Fighting to keep from breaking down into hysterics took the last of Usagi's strength and she fell away into a deep sleep troubled by dreams of running for her life while a shadow garbed in a tuxedo chased her down.

In the next room, the hum of voices continued late into the night.

******

The day after the incident, Chibi-Usa returned home to the future with many well wishings and tearful good-byes, and, on the surface, the following week passed normally, Usagi's failure to perform earlier apparently changing nothing. She hung out with her friends at school, went shopping with them afterwards, and spent time at the shrine reading Rei's manga. Usagi even managed to convince herself that Mamoru did truly love her and that her injuries had caused her to make more of his hesitation then was actually there. They went out on two dates that week.

That week everything was smiles and fun—on the surface.

An air of aloofness hung around her friends when she was near them though. It was as though a crack had appeared between her and them, and it was rapidly widening into a fissure. They were not mean or cruel, they did nothing to hurt her feelings or drive her away, but she got the distinct impression that she was different from them, not truly a part of their group anymore. She recognized these things. It was the same way they treated Naru and Umino, as distant friends who were not privy to all they shared.

She realized that they had lost faith in her, they did not believe any longer that she was truly their Princess. That meant that, in their eyes, the Ginzuishou did not belong to her. If Usagi lost the crystal she lost the power to become Sailor Moon because her power as a Senshi and her power as Princess had become intertwined. If Usagi lost the power to become Sailor Moon, than she would no longer be part of the one thing that had ever meant anything in her life.

Those two dates with Mamoru had been at the beginning of the week and after the second she hardly saw him again. Her phone calls were picked up by his answering machine and the few times she got the chance to talk to him in person he would claim to be very busy and then after only a few brief minutes of talk, would hurry off. Usagi would be left staring after his back, wondering, questioning.

Twice that week she woke up to find Luna gone. When questioned about it in the morning she had mumbled something about a late night snack and then wandered off before further questions could be asked.

The signs were there and no matter how much she wanted to, Usagi could not deny them. As such, it was a very forlorn and dispirited Usagi who made her way to the Hikawa Shrine one-week after her disastrous fight with Neptune and Uranus. She knew she would be asked to relinquish the Ginzuishou and forced to if she didn't comply. The lead gray clouds hanging in the sky overhead fit her mood perfectly.

As expected, everyone was waiting for her inside the shrine. The presence of Haruka and Michiru was a bit of a surprise though. Michiru sat in one corner of the room sipping tea while Haruka leaned against the wall next to the door. As she entered the room, Usagi noted that Makoto sat in a chair on the other side of the door from the tall blond. Guards in case she decided to make a break for it.

Nervous looks and half-smiles met her gaze as it swept around the room. There was no animosity there, even from Michiru and Haruka, but that sense of ever widening distance was painfully present. Mamoru was there and he gave her that broad, winning smile that had melted her heart so many times. Usagi just looked at him until that smile faltered and slipped away. The tension in the room was so think it was a wonder everyone could still breathe.

"Glad you could make it, Usagi," greeted Rei with an attempt at cheerfulness that failed miserably. "Makoto made your favorite treats," she continued, gesturing to a platter laden with sweets.

Usagi sneered, anger boiling up inside of her. "A last meal for the condemned," she spat angrily.

Rei flinched at that statement and others averted their eyes, staring down at the floor. Everyone except Haruka and Michiru were uncomfortable with the situation. Michiru met her gaze levelly and Usagi could feel the weight of Haruka's eyes against her back.

"It's not like that," stated Haruka. "You are not the one, that's nothing to be ashamed of. The role is very difficult and not just anyone can be expected to fill it."

"This is not an execution," continued Michiru. "In fact, I would think you would be happy to pass on the burden you have carried on your shoulders for so long. Won't it feel good to be a normal girl again, not having to always worry about your duty to the world."

To be a normal girl again, to shed the burden of world's savior, those words struck a chord in Usagi's heart. How many times had she wished for just that? How many days spent dreaming of times when she could read the adventures instead of living them? These thoughts swirled around in her head and for an instant she was tempted to just give it all up.

But then Usagi realized with cold certainty that she did not want to set this burden aside. This was her duty and despite the hardships it caused it meant everything to her. She would just as soon cut off her own foot as hand over the Ginzuishou to another.

"I _am_ the Princess," she stated coolly. "The Ginzuishou is mine."

Shaking her head, Michiru set her tea aside and rose. The others followed suit until they surrounded her like a cage enclosing some type of wild animal that might try to run or bite. She wouldn't bite, but if she got the chance she'd sure as hell run.

"Are you going to make this difficult?" asked Michiru. "Are you going to force us to take it from you."

Usagi gazed around at the others and they could not meet her eyes. Sadness showed on the faces of her _former_ friends, but she knew that would not stop them from doing what they thought needed to be done. Determination showed on the faces of Haruka and Michiru. Those two didn't care who they hurt as long as they got the job done.

Usagi's fists clenched at her sides, her own face becoming a mask of determination. Then she let it all wash away. Her hands opened, her face showed only despair. She hung her head in defeat, reaching up to take the brooch from where it had sat for so long.

"I will…" she began, her voice choked with tears. "I will… I will _not!_"

Spinning around, she ducked under the blow she expected Haruka to throw and made a dash for the open door. Something hard struck her across the face before she could make it out though. Falling back with a startled cry, Usagi clutched at her eye, where the blow had centered, and stared up into the triumphant face of Haruka. But it had not been Haruka who had struck her, for the blond had indeed swung high.

Usagi's head turned slowly. She looked up at Makoto whose arm was still extended from the punch she had thrown, aiming for the midsection, but striking the face instead. Shock showed in the brunette's face, but it could not compete with the betrayal lining Usagi's.

"I didn't mean…" stammered Makoto. "It was a reaction, I didn't mean to… Oh god Usagi! I'm so sorry!"

"So am I," whispered Usagi.

In that instant something died deep inside Usagi's soul. A horrible, despairing feeling washed over Usagi, threatening to draw her down into a deep abyss from which there was no escape. She might have gone too, but in losing a piece of herself, she had also gained. The fires of determination roared to life in her soul and Usagi vowed that no one would take the Ginzuishou from her as long as she lived. 

Usagi reached out for the strength to fight and the Ginzuishou answered her call.

The brooch opened, revealing the sparkling crystal held reverently inside. The Ginzuishou released a blinding radiance that filled the room and caused everyone there to throw up their arms in an attempt to shield their eyes from the intense glow. Everyone except Usagi that was, upon whom the light had no effect. The brilliant light died as quickly as it had appeared, leaving all but Usagi rubbing at their eyes in a vain attempt to restore lost sight.

A few of those gathered had the good sense to leave off the eye rubbing and make blind grabs for Usagi before she had the chance to escape. They were too late though, Usagi was already gone.


	3. Fated Meetings

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow: Chapter 3: Fated Meetings

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

e-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters contained within this story.

******

****

Usagi trudged down the street with leaden steps, the anger she had felt at being betrayed having evaporated long since, leaving only weariness and a feeling of emptiness in its wake. Her eyes were locked on the ground and saw none of her surroundings, she had no idea where she was or where she was going. It mattered little though. To Usagi, life had ended when Mamoru had rejected her, when Makoto had struck her, when her friends had betrayed her. In her own mind, Usagi was effectively dead.

Several people passing her on the street stopped to peer at her with worried eyes, a few even asked if she was okay or needed assistance with something. The pain that Usagi felt in her soul was etched deep into her face and people who saw her wondered what terrible horrors had been inflicted upon such a young and beautiful girl. Those few who tried to reach out a comforting hand were coldly rebuffed though.

Usagi didn't know what she wanted, but this one time sympathy wasn't it. How could these people possibly salve her pain anyway? None of them knew what true pain was nor, she hoped, would they. No, none of these people could help her. She was alone in the world and the weight of her suffering was on her shoulders alone.

High over head, thunder rumbled across the sky, carrying with it the promise of rain. Normally the sound of thunder would have sent Usagi scurrying for cover, but now it was just one more nuisance. And yet she paused for a moment and stared up into the cloud filled sky as she listened to the thunder rolling across the sky, felt it rumble through her being. There was…something. A drop of rain splashed against Usagi's face and she dropped her eyes to the ground once again. It had just been idle fancy.

The rain was almost spontaneous, coming down in heavy sheets that had those unfortunate enough to be caught in it dashing for cover. Usagi was soaked to her skin in seconds, but she hardly noted either rain or the chill that was already seeping into her bones. She just kept walking.

"So there you are," said a voice that actually had the effect of making the rain seem warm.

Usagi's head jerked up and she stopped dead in her tracks. Standing directly in front of her was Sailor Uranus, her arms crossed beneath her breasts and a disapproving look in her eyes as she stared at Usagi coldly. Usagi took a step back, but didn't try to run away. She knew she could never outrun the Senshi.

"Did you think we would just let you be because you managed to elude us at the shrine?" demanded Uranus.

Usagi backed up another step, looking around and taking in her surrounding for the first time in an attempt to come up with some plan of escape. She was on a small, deserted side street, hemmed in on two sides by tall buildings. Beyond Uranus she could see a wide canal, but there would be no escape in that direction. If she just turned and ran there was no doubt in her mind that Uranus would catch her easily. She was trapped.

"I'll give you one last chance to do this the easy way. Hand over the Ginzuishou, Usagi."

Usagi licked her lips. "The Ginzuishou chose me to be Princess! I won't just hand it over!"  
One moment Uranus was standing several feet away and the next she was in Usagi's face. Her full-armed slap whipped Usagi around and caused her head to ring, and for a moment she lost all sense of the world. When her head cleared she realized she was kneeling in a puddle with mud staining her skirt and the bottom of her blouse. Rain dripped from her hair, her nose, her chin; it mingled with her tears and flowed into the puddle she was staring into. It suddenly seemed to Usagi that her tears had created that puddle, had created the very rain which now fell all about her.

"The fact that the Ginzuishou chose you was a fluke," intoned Uranus. "A cosmic accident. Surrender it now so that its rightful owner can be found. Or would you risk the entire world just so that you can play at being the Princess?"  
Clutching her brooch to her chest with one hand, Usagi pushed herself to her feet and turned to face Uranus once again. She was surprised that she could meet the Senshi's cold, hard eyes, but she did just that. 

Mustering up as much dignity as she could manage considering the fact that she was dirty, wet, and hurt, Usagi said, "The Ginzuishou is mine. In my heart I know this is true. If you want it, you will have to kill me first."

Uranus' eyes widened at this proclamation. "Fool!" she spat, drawing back her hand to strike again, this time with a closed fist.

Usagi stood straight and tall, and looked Uranus in the eye as she waited for the blow to fall. It never did though. Instead the Senshi froze, shock and surprise registering on her face. At first Usagi couldn't understand what had happened. And then she saw the edge of a broken sword pressed firmly against the side of Uranus' neck.

******

Of all the places Ranma had expected to be that day, standing in the rain in the middle of a street while holding a broken katana to the neck of some strange girl in a weird outfit was not one of them. 

Ranma had been standing on the bank of the canal staring into the murky waters and trying to figure out where to go from there. Her options were limited to…well, to be perfectly honest she had no options. Thinking ahead had never been one of Ranma's strong points and so there she was, standing in the rain staring into the dark waters of the canal with no home, no family, no friends, and, when you boiled it all down, no real life to speak of.

She had expected to feel many things after breaking the chains that had kept her bound for so long. Anger, elation, maybe even a bit of regret. Instead Ranma only felt alone. Empty and alone. It was an odd sensation, one she wasn't used to, and Ranma didn't like it. But she did have her freedom, and that acted like a soothing balm to help ease the pang of loneliness that had settled into her heart. 

The sounds of some type of commotion had pulled Ranma from her thoughts and she finally took notice of the rain that had been pounding her for the last several minutes. Ignoring the fact that she was soaked—being soaking wet was something Ranma had gotten used to over the years—Ranma looked around for whatever disturbance had managed to win its way through her introspection. Not too far from where she stood, Ranma saw one girl smacking another around and apparently trying to take something from her.

Despite what her mother thought, Ranma still possessed plenty of honor and she still considered herself a martial artist in all aspects. That meant that when she saw someone trying to steal something, it was her duty to try and stop him or her. This was easily accomplished by sneaking up behind the thief and attacker, and laying the edge of the broken sword along side her neck. No fuss, no muss, and so far no one had gotten hurt. A good start.

"Don't," ordered Ranma when she saw the girl in front of her tense. She pushed a little harder with the katana in order to reinforce that command.

The blond in the skimpy outfit relaxed slightly, but Ranma was still wary. She had no idea who this girl was, but Ranma could feel an odd power radiating from her. It was unlike the ki she felt when battling with the likes of Ryoga, but it was equally as potent and possibly more dangerous. She was taking no chances.

"This is none of your concern," stated Skimpy—as Ranma had not so affectionately dubbed her—coolly.

"I'm making it my concern."

Glancing over the shoulder of his captive, Ranma took a moment to study the girl she had just rescued. Clutching something to her chest as though it were the key to heaven itself, the girl looked worn and bedraggled, frightened and confused. Ranma was somewhat surprised to see that she was still standing there. Most people would have fled the moment their attacker was no longer focused on them.

"Are you okay?" asked Ranma.

Meatball Head—as Ranma now referred to the girl due to her odd hairstyle—looked over at her and nodded. "I'll…I'll be all right."

"I wasn't going to hurt her…too badly," said Skimpy.

Ranma turned his attention back to the first girl. "No, you were just going to steal from her."

Skimpy snorted. "You have no idea what you're talking about. How do you know that this girl didn't steal the brooch from me and I'm simply trying to get it back."

So it was only a brooch they were fighting over? Must have been a very valuable one. "My instincts tell me otherwise and I've learned to trust my instincts." Indeed, although he couldn't say why exactly, Ranma felt that whatever Meatball Head clutched in her hand was definitely hers.

"Maybe you should have them fine tuned then." Skimpy suddenly switched topics. "Shouldn't you be holding that thing to my throat instead of my neck."  
Ranma smiled slightly. "Ever take your pulse? There's a major artery running right down the side of your neck, but I'm sure you already know that or else you would have tried to make a break for it by now." She finally began to take note of how cold it was out here in the middle of the pouring rain. Ranma wanted this thing done with so that she could go curl up in a doorway or something. "So how do we end this with everyone still in one piece?"  
"Usagi could give me the brooch," stated Skimpy. 

"Or," said Ranma, pressing just hard enough with the katana to draw a bit of blood, "you could leave." 

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice."

"Good observation."

Skimpy was silent for several moments before finally nodding her head slightly. "I will leave."

Preparing herself in case Skimpy was the type who didn't keep her word, Ranma drew the katana away, resting it against her own shoulder. Skimpy made no move to leave or attack, she simply turned around and looked Ranma up and down. She seemed slightly amused at what she saw, a small, bedraggled girl with a broken sword and a cocky smile.

"You trust that I will simply leave and not try to take you both. Why is that?"

Well, no, Ranma didn't really trust her, but… "What choice do I have? I could stand here all day with the sword held against your neck, but it's raining and I want this done with. I could kill you, but that's not my style. Or I can just let you go and trust that you won't try anything funny." 

"Better to have killed me. I am an enemy. Trusting and enemy can get _you_ killed."

"Maybe she's not like you!" said Usagi suddenly. "Maybe she prefers to give people a chance before just killing them!"

Skimpy turned her attention to Usagi, giving the blond a cold stare. "If that is the case then you are both fools!"

Suddenly Skimpy was moving, reaching for the brooch Usagi seemed to be so fond of. Ranma had expected something though, and she moving as well. The blunt side of her katana came down hard on top of the girl's wrist and she snatched her hand back with a pained grunt. Skimpy leaped away to avoid a half hearted thrust from the katana and Ranma put herself between Usagi and her attacker.

"I am Sailor Uranus," intoned Skimpy, glaring at Ranma angrily as she rubbed at her hurt wrist. "This day you have made me your enemy, girl." Then she was gone, leaping high into the air and onto the roof of nearby building.

"Just add your name to the list," muttered Ranma, watching Uranus leave. Suddenly she was angry with herself. "Great!" she spat. "The first day of what's supposed to be my new life and I gotta go and get myself a new enemy! Someone up there must really hate me!"  
"I'm sorry," said Usagi softly.

Ranma turned to face the girl she had just saved. "Huh? It's not your fault. At least she didn't want to marry me." A look of confusion crossed Usagi's face, but Ranma ignored it. She wasn't about to try and explain what she had meant. "I'm Ranma by the way." She stuck out her hand.

"I'm Usagi." The girl went to shake Ranma's hand, but suddenly jerked her own hand back. "What happened to you?!" she exclaimed.

Ranma looked down at her hand in confusion and saw what Usagi was talking about. She had bound the gash in her palm with a strip of cloth cut from her shirt with the katana, but dried blood still covered her hand. The rain had washed some of it off, but it was still a nasty sight. It throbbed something awful too.

"Um…Accident with a can opener, it's not too bad," she lied.

"Oh." Usagi didn't look like she totally believed Ranma, but she let the matter lie. "Thanks for saving me! That was a really nice thing you did. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"  
"It was nothin'. No need for payment or anything." The rain was beginning to slack off, changing from a deluge to a light drizzle, but Ranma was soaked and it was beginning to get cold. She still had to find someplace warm to spend the night. Hell, anyplace to spend the night. "Listen, I gotta go."

"Oh, okay. Is your home near here?" Something must have shown in Ranma's face because Usagi suddenly became concerned. "What's wrong?"

Ranma opened her mouth to lie, to tell this girl that yeah, her home was nearby, but she couldn't do it for some reason. Maybe it was the pair of innocent blue eyes staring back at her guilelessly—Ranma saw hurt deep inside those blue orbs. Maybe it was seeing someone her own age with such a haggard, careworn face—Ranma saw herself in that face. And maybe it was just fate, but Ranma told the truth.

"I…don't have a home," she said softly, her shoulders slumping.

"That's terrible!" exclaimed Usagi. Reaching out suddenly, she grabbed Ranma's wrist and began pulling her along as she began walking away.

"Um…What are you doing?" asked Ranma, following along for the moment because she really didn't know what else to do.

"Taking you to my house," stated Usagi in a firm voice. "You helped me out and I can't just leave you out in the rain like this. You can spend the night at my house. I bet my parents will even let you stay for a while after I tell them how you saved me from…" She stopped suddenly and turned back to Ranma. "Don't say anything about Sailor Uranus, okay."

Ranma just blinked. "Uh…Okay, sure."

Usagi smiled. "We'll just tell them some men tried to rob me and you saved me. My parents will let you stay for sure then, probably for as long as you want." Turning on her heels, Usagi once again began tugging Ranma along.

Stunned and not quite grasping what had just been said, Ranma trailed along behind Usagi. Having a place to spend the night would be great, she thought when some of Usagi's words finally penetrated the fog that had enshrouded her brain. A voice in the back of her head was quite adamant about the fact that this was a bad idea and gave several reasons as to why. Ranma was too emotionally drained to listen, however. The other voice, the one talking about a roof to keep the rain away, good food, and a warm bed, was much nicer to listen to anyway. When the pleasant voice mentioned a nice hot bath though, the negative one went into hysterics. Ranma didn't notice.

******

The screen flickered fitfully for a second, then a gloved fist came down on top of it with a loud thump and it cleared up again. Displayed on the monitor was the image of a blonde girl with her hair done up in two rather odd ponytails. Her garb was equally strange, consisting of a white body suit adorned with red bows and short blue fuku. Red knee high boots, white gloves, and a golden tiara completed the outfit. 

The screen was the only source of light in a room whose dimensions were lost in shadow. The harsh light faintly illuminated two men. One was a tall, obviously muscular man with features that seemed as though they had been carved from stone. He wore ornately worked gold and black armor that was obviously well cared for and the hilt of a massive sword thrust up over his right shoulder. The second man was slighter of build and had a hawkish appearance. Black and gold robes fell in folds about his wiry frame and he clutched an ornately worked staff in one hand. 

The first man spoke "_This_ is what stands between us and the Ginzuishou?" His voice was deep and carried more than a hint of contempt.

A second voice answered, this one an alto to the first one's bass. "Not her alone, there are others." 

A button was pushed and the image on the screen changed to that of another girl dressed in a similar fashion. Her outfit was predominately blue though. Again a button was pushed and the image changed. This continued until it returned to the first girl. 

Snorting in derision, the first man said, "So there are seven of them, can they really be that powerful?"

The second man shrugged. "They do not look like much, but I have gathered some data on them. Many before us have made a grab for the Ginzuishou and all have fallen to these Sailor Senshi. Most were as powerful as ourselves."

The first man's fists clenched. "This would not have been a problem in the old days, when our Empire was a force to be feared throughout the universe."

A sigh escaped the lips of the second man. "If these were the old days of the Empire, there would be no need for this."

This simple statement seemed to rob the first man of the very strength that held him upright. His fists unclenched and his mighty shoulders slumped. He ran a hand through long, straggly black hair as he stared at the girl on the screen.

"If there were only another way…"

"But there is no other way. You know this."

The first man nodded. "You have a plan?" It was more of a statement then a question.

"Yes." Another button was pushed and the faces of three new people appeared on the screen. Below each one was a series of words and numbers written in an unknown language.

The first man stiffened. "This is wrong."

"Is it so wrong for a few to sacrifice themselves for the many?"

"In this way, yes! You would steal their identities, make them little more than slaves. Every warrior has the right to stand and die like a man." His eyes roamed over the faces displayed on the screen. "Or a woman."

Anger filled the voice of the second man. "We do not have the luxury of honor right now! Our resources are severely limited! These three can harvest the energy we need to defeat the Senshi. They themselves may even be able to beat the Senshi!"

"It is still wrong."

The second man sighed again. "It may be wrong, but it is our only choice."

The first man nodded in resignation. "Our only choice," he repeated softly.

"Prepare yourself then, in one day's time you must descend to the Earth. It will be up to you to capture them."

Surprise showed in the first man's face. "Why not send one of the drones?"

"We do not have enough to spare at this time. One will be sent to keep the Senshi busy, giving you time to complete the mission."

"It will be a simple matter to collect these three humans. No challenge. I long for a decent fight."

"You may get more of a fight then you expect. These three are all decent warriors, that is why I have chosen them, but there is another you will have to be cautious of." Another image appeared on the screen, this time it was a young man. "He is only a human, but he is incredibly strong and well versed in the fighting arts. I suspect he will try and stop you since he is linked to all three of the others."

The first man studied the screen and smiled. "I hope so. I do indeed hope that this Ranma Saotome will dance with me."


	4. A New Home?

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter4: A New Home?

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: School has begun once again so future chapters will be written at a slower pace to accommodate my horrendous schedule. Current plans place chapters at one to two weeks apart. 

Disclaimer: I won't say it! You can't make me say it! I'm rebelling! I'll never… What's that? It looks sharp… and hot. What are you… No! Don't! AARRRGH!! Okay! Okay! I'll say it! Geez, you don't have to be nasty about it. The characters in this story do not belong to me. There, happy? OWW! 

******

From her post at the Gate of Time, Sailor Pluto watched as Usagi led Ranma through the pouring rain. She wished that she could do more than just watch the events that would dictate the future, but she was trapped in the void, a place where time and space met yet had no bearing. Pluto had used a forbidden technique to save Uranus and Neptune, and now she was paying the price. Only at certain times was she now allowed to plunge back into the river of time and interact with the world, and then only as a wraith.

Despite what people might expect of someone dubbed the Guardian of Time, Pluto could not in fact read the future. Such an act was impossible even for the gods themselves. What she _could_ do, was view the paths the future might take and attempt to guide the future to the goal she sought, a goal that was always for the greater good. There were many, many such paths with an uncountable number of branches leading off to yet more paths.

The incident that had just taken place on an abandoned street this day, between a young Princess and her cursed companion was such a branching. The future that had been plotted for them had been passed up in favor of another. This disturbed Pluto, for although what was happening now was not too upsetting to the balance—the other Senshi might disagree, but they did not know what she did—the path now traveled could lead to a complete ruination of the future.

What it boiled down to was simply a matter of going right instead of left. Existence itself was little more than a series of choices, choices not always made by the person whom they affected. Many times events were dictated by fate and destiny. In the events to come though, the choices would largely be made by the Senshi and their allies. Sailor Pluto had little doubt that the choices they made would grant this world a future.

But there was one branching of the future that caused her some distress. Before, she had had little faith that this choice would ever have to be made, but destiny had made a choice and now the fate of the future hung in the balance. It was such a small crossroad, one with an easy choice that pointed the way generously. But the obvious path led to the eventual destruction of Crystal Tokyo.

Sailor Pluto rubbed at her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She could act when the time came for that choice to be made, and she would no matter what the cost. But she greatly disliked the task that had been thrust upon her. What the Senshi had done to Usagi would pale in comparison to what she must do to her.

If Usagi lived that long.

******

Ikuko Tsukino took one look at her daughter and nearly went into hysterics. An understandable reaction considering Usagi's current appearance. She was soaking wet, her clothes and legs were splattered with mud, one eye was swollen and would be black and blue in the morning, and practically the entire side of her face was red from where Uranus had slapped her and there was the possibility that it would bruise too—a testament to Uranus' strength. All and all she looked like something a cat might drag in and leave at its owner's feet in hopes of earning a pat on the head.

"What happened to you!?" demanded her mother as she began looking Usagi over for more injuries. Both concern and fear showed clearly on her face.

Usagi was a bit taken aback by her mother's reaction, but she hadn't seen herself in a mirror yet. "Well, there were these men and—"

Usagi was cut off by her mother's shriek. "You were raped!?"

"No! That's not—"

Suddenly Kenji was standing next to his wife. "What's this I hear!?" he roared. "My beautiful daughter was violated by a gang of vicious criminals! I won't stand for this! I'll track them all down and wring their necks!"

"That's not…Will you…C'mon mom! Listen to me!" By now both parents were shouting and raging and ready to kill anything that might have ever looked at their daughter funny. 

Ranma, who had gone completely unnoticed so far, snickered softly. Usagi shot her a pleading look as she tried to quell her hysterical parents, but Ranma just shrugged and tried to hide her smile. Judging from the look Usagi gave her before returning attention to her parents, Ranma hadn't succeeded.

Looking around, Ranma noticed the presence of a second person who seemed to find the situation amusing. A young boy, presumably Usagi's brother, was standing nearby doing his best to contain his laughter. He at least had taken note of Ranma and he stared at the broken katana in her hand with the wide-eyed curiosity of the young. When the boy's eyes met Ranma's she smiled at him and he grinned back. Then he blushed slightly and averted his eyes, an act which caused Ranma a bit of confusion.

"LISTEN TO ME!!" roared Usagi in frustration, finally fed up with the situation. All of a sudden it was dead quiet and everyone was staring at her. Clearing her throat, she said, "I wasn't raped." Instantly her parents broke down into sobs of relief and it was another few minutes before Usagi was able to continue. "As I was saying before, some men tried to rob me, but Ranma here saved me and chased them off."

All eyes turned to regard the pig-tailed girl and she fidgeted nervously, becoming self-conscious with everyone staring at her. "Hi," she said simply.

Usagi's mother suddenly had her hands on Ranma's shoulders and was fussing over her ragged appearance. "Oh my! Just look at you! You're a mess! I bet you're cold too. How about a nice warm bath and something hot to eat. You've earned it and more for saving my daughter. I bet we can find something to replace that torn shirt of yours as well. Oh dear! What happened to your hand?! I'll have to take a look at that." Ikuko led a stunned Ranma deeper into the house, snagging Usagi as she went. "You come along too. You're both in terrible shape and I bet by tomorrow you'll both be down with colds."

The two girls went along with Ikuko without protest. Ranma because she wouldn't have known what to say if she wanted to and Usagi because she knew saying anything would be pointless. Besides, the idea of a warm bath and hot food was enticing to the both of them. 

Ikuko led them upstairs and thrust them both into the bathroom. "Warm baths first, you need to get out of those wet clothes. I'll bring you both a robe for when you're done. Ranma, I want to look at that hand of yours as soon as you're finished with your bath. At the very least it will need some antiseptic and a good bandage, it might even need stitches." Then she was gone, shutting the door as she left and leaving the two girls staring blankly at where she had been standing.

"I can't believe my parents embarrassed me like that!" exclaimed Usagi finally.

Ranma gave Usagi a disapproving frown. "They just care about you. If my parents thought I'd been raped they'd probably try to get me to kill myself or somethin'," she said bitterly, thinking of all the things thrust upon her throughout her life by her parents.

"You're kidding!" exclaimed Usagi. Ranma looked away and Usagi's gaze moved to the broken katana. "You mean—"

"I don't wanna talk about it!" said Ranma harshly. Seeing the hurt look on Usagi's face she immediately regretted her tone of voice. "I'm sorry, I'm just…"

"Hurt," said Usagi, giving Ranma a sympathetic look. "And confused, and feeling alone in the world."

"Somethin' like that," muttered Ranma as she turned to look at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall. She really didn't want to talk about it even though it appeared that Usagi understood exactly what she was feeling. Ranma had always been taught that babbling about one's emotions was something only weaklings and girls did. Of course, it had been her honorless father that had told her such things, but old habits died hard.

Staring into the mirror, it took Ranma several moments to equate the face staring back with her own. The only thing that kept her from looking as bad as Usagi was a lack of bruises. Gently undoing the makeshift bandage covering her hand, she examined the ugly gash that ran the length of her palm. Usagi's mother was right, it might need stitches. 

Ranma heard Usagi began running water for the bath, but she was too caught up with poking and prodding at her wound to pay much attention. Stitches or no it would probably scar, but at least it didn't appear…Usagi was running bath water? Ranma finally took note of the voice in the back of her head that had been screaming at her for the last several minutes. 

Spinning around, Ranma said, "Usagi, I don't think…" Ranma trailed off staring at Usagi, who had removed her blouse and was in the process of taking off her bra. Letting out a small squeak, Ranma turned back around, her face flaming.

"What's wrong Ranma?"

"Well, you see…there's ah…somethin' I haven't told you yet…" Ranma tried desperately to think of something to tell Usagi other then the truth, but her mind came up completely blank. "I'mnotreallyagirl," she finally blurted.

"What? I couldn't understand you."

Ranma took a deep breath. "I'm not really a girl. I'm a guy."

Usagi laughed. "Not with boobs like that you aren't."  
"I'm serious!" Ranma's face was now deep crimson and she was beginning to feel quite warm. "Yeah, I'm a girl now, but I'm not _really_ a girl."

There was a long moment of silence and then Usagi gave a gasp of realization. "Oh, I get it. You're…that way and you're afraid to tell me because you think I might be offended or something because you saw me naked. Don't worry about it, we're both still girls."

That way? What did she mean by… "That's not what I meant!" said Ranma whipping back around. "I'm not…" Usagi was now wearing nothing but her panties and the color of Ranma's face managed to enter into shades of purple. Hastily she squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. "Listen," she managed to say, "just cover up and I'll show you what I mean."

There was a pause and then, "Okay, show me that you're really a guy." Usagi's tone of voice was like that of a parent humoring a small child.

A quick peek revealed that Usagi had wrapped a towel around herself and Ranma was able to regain some of her composure. While trying not to look at Usagi too much—she might be covered, but Ranma knew _exactly_ what was underneath that towel—Ranma walked over to where the bathtub was filling with hot water. There she hesitated for a moment, memories of her first meeting with Akane filling her mind.

Would Usagi hate her after this? Ranma had definitely seen more than she should have. In the end, Ranma decided that there was no getting out of this so it didn't matter. Kneeling down next to the tub and setting her katana aside, she cupped her hands and proceeded to splash herself with hot water. A startled gasp escaped Usagi's lips as the change took place.

"See," said a very male Ranma as he stood back up. "I told ya I wasn't a girl. You're not gonna get mad and hit me now, are you?"

Usagi's face was turning brilliant crimson as she realized she had just undressed in front of a man, but she didn't seem angry. Well, she didn't seem happy either, but so far there was no glowing blue aura or large hammer. Reaching out, Usagi prodded Ranma's chest, gently searching for those boobs she had mentioned just a short time ago. 

"I don't believe it," she said in a slightly awed voice. "How—"

A knock on the bathroom door cut her off. "I've got your robes and I'm bringing them in," called Ikuko.

Ranma didn't need Usagi's frantic look to know that there'd be trouble if her mother caught the two of them in the bathroom while he was a guy. As the door began to open, Ranma grabbed Usagi's discarded shirt from the floor and rung it out over the top of his head. When Ikuko stepped in carrying two yellow robes, Ranma was a girl once again.

"Ranma," she said in a sharp voice that made the red head jump. For a moment she feared her secret had been discovered. "Why aren't you out of those wet clothes yet?" 

Ranma blinked. "Well, uh…I was…examining my hand. Yeah, that's what I was doing. I was making sure the wound was clean."

"Let me see," said Ikuko, taking a hold of Ranma's hand. She looked it over carefully and then said, "This is bad. How did you manage to do this to yourself?"

"Um…I was cutting up carrots and the knife slipped."

"I thought you said it was an accident with a can opener," said Usagi.

In Ranma's opinion, the room was beginning to become uncomfortably hot. "Did I? I mean, yeah, I was trying to open a can of carrots, but um…I didn't have a can opener so I had to use a knife and it slipped. Yeah, that's what happened."

As one, the eyes of both Usagi and her mother slid to the broken katana laying on the floor. They didn't say anything about it though, only exchanged unreadable glances. 

"Make sure you clean it well," said Ikuko finally. Releasing Ranma's hand, she turned to leave. "And get out of those wet clothes before you do anything else."

During this entire exchange, Ranma thought that Usagi would say something about what had happened. Most girls didn't like the idea of a man seeing them naked when they didn't want to be seen naked. It was a relief when Usagi said nothing, but when the door closed behind her mother she rounded on Ranma with a furious look.

"Couldn't you have said something about this earlier!?"  
Ranma shrugged and tried to look innocent. "I forgot," she said lamely, knowing the excuse wasn't going to cut it, but too tired to come up with anything better.

"Forgot!? How do you forget something like that!?"

Sighing, Ranma said, "It's been a very long day. I've sorta gotten used to people knowing about my curse and it just slipped my mind." Looking over at Usagi's angry visage, Ranma said, "I suppose you want me to leave now, huh?" If that was the case then Ranma didn't know what she was going to do. She had nowhere to go, no one to turn to.

To Ranma's relief, Usagi shook her head. "No. I'm not _that_ angry with you. Besides, you tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. Some of this is my fault. But you can't let my parents find out you're a guy or else my dad will probably try to kill you or something." Her eyes narrowed. "And you're not taking a bath with me either."

"Yeah, I'll uh…just sit over here and stare at the wall until you're done."

"Good plan. You can tell me all about why you turn into a girl too. I've seen some really weird stuff, but this has got to be the strangest."

So Ranma sat in the corner and related the story of her encounter with Jusenkyo while Usagi cleaned up and soaked the chill from her bones. Then it was Ranma's turn to bathe while Usagi stared into the corner. They just made idle conversation then, and Ranma was pleased that Usagi didn't pry into his past and accepted the uninformative answers he gave when asked about it. In return, Ranma didn't ask about her black eye or the attack by the strange girl.

After the bath, Ranma splashed himself with cold water and she and Usagi went downstairs to get something to eat. Before food though, came Ikuko's examination and treatment of Ranma's injured hand. She decided that stitches were not necessary and bound the wound with a thick layer of bandages with the admonishment that Ranma was to use that hand as little as possible over the course of the next week.

Everyone gathered in the dining room as the two girls were given large plates full of hot food, and Usagi began making formal introductions. "This is my mom and dad, and that little runt is my brother, Shingo. Everyone, this is Ranma… What did you say your last name was?"

Ranma, who had been in the process of nodding to everyone politely, suddenly frowned and looked away. "I uh…I don't have…a last name," she said softly.

"Why not?" asked Shingo innocently. His parents shot him hard looks, but there own curiosity showed plainly on their faces, just as it did on Usagi's.

Ranma didn't answer at first. She considered not answering at all, but decide that these people had been nice enough to her so far and deserved to know the truth. Some of the truth at least. There were some things that Ranma decided strangers, friendly or no, didn't need to know about her. That list, she noted, was rather long.

"My parents…disowned me," she said finally, still not looking at any of them. That admission had hurt more than she thought it would, and a pall of loss and sadness fell across her heart.

"That's awful!" exclaimed Usagi. "Why would they do such a thing?"  
Ranma sighed. She hated these questions. "They wanted me to marry a…someone who I didn't want to marry. Neither of us was happy with the idea"—at least Ranma hoped the unhappiness had been shared equally—"and I finally told them off. They kicked me out because of that." Well, that was some of the truth.

Ikuko made a disapproving sound. "Some parents are still stuck in the past. They don't understand that they can't arrange their children's life for them."

"Why not?" asked Kenji.

Usagi frowned at her father before turning to her mom with a pleading look on her face. "Mom, Ranma doesn't have anywhere to live. We can't just toss her back out on the street."  
"Of course we can't," said Ikuko firmly. "She can stay in Chibi-Usa's room since your cousin isn't staying with us right now."

This proclamation took Ranma off guard. Usagi had said she'd be able to stay here for a while, but Ranma really hadn't believed her. At the very least she had expected Usagi to have to do a lot of arguing and pleading just to get her parents to agree to a few nights. There had to be a catch.

"You're just gonna let me stay here?" she asked.

"Like my daughter said, we can't just toss you back out on the street. Especially not after you saved her from those men. You can stay here until you work things out with your parents or find a relative to stay with."

"I don't think my parents will let me back anytime soon," she muttered. "And I don't have any relatives. But I suppose I can find a job or something and pay you rent." 

"A job at your age," said Ikuko with a raised eyebrow. "You should be in school. If you really want to pay us back then you can help around the house. It would be nice to have at least _one_ person who's willing to help me." The rest of the family suddenly began a very intense study of the floor.

Ranma didn't know what to say to such a generous offer, so she simply said the first thing that popped into her head. "I can cook."

Ikuko smiled. "Then you can help me out in the kitchen from time to time. Maybe you'll be a good influence on Usagi. Now eat, you two. Undoubtedly you'll be sick tomorrow because of all the time you spent out in the rain so you need to eat while you can."

Ranma didn't need to be told twice. Eating was one of her favorite hobbies and it seemed Usagi shared her interest. In no time they had each consumed enough food for two people and were clamoring for dessert. Usagi's mom didn't cook quite as well as Kasumi —who did?— but her food was delicious none the less and Ranma was more than satisfied when she was finished.

After dinner, Ranma was led to her room, which was located in the attic. It had been vacated recently by Usagi's younger cousin and it was quite obviously set up to match a girl's tastes. After the day she had had though, Ranma didn't care about frilly white curtains, or a pink bedspread. She would care about those things in the morning, she decided. Right now all Ranma wanted to do was sleep. And sleep she did, long and hard.

She woke up once that night though, and went down in search of a drink of water. As she passed Usagi's room, Ranma heard soft weeping. Glancing inside, she saw that the clouds outside had parted slightly and the light from the moon was faintly illuminating the small, shaking form of Usagi as she cried beneath her blankets. Not knowing what to do, Ranma watched her for a short time and then returned to her own room, water forgotten.

After that it was a long while before Ranma was able to get back to sleep. Her thoughts were filled with images of the past. Looking back, she realized that not everything in Nerima had been bad, there had been good times as well. She didn't regret what she had done though, only wished it could have been different. 

When sleep finally found Ranma, her last thought were not of the past, but of the future, and a girl whose tears tugged at her own heart. What had been done to Usagi to cause the pain Ranma saw etched in her face? What could be done to ease that pain? These were the thoughts Ranma carried off to sleep.

******

The next day both Ranma and Usagi were sick just as Ikuko had predicted. They were laid up with runny noses, disgruntled stomachs, and a general feeling of ickyness. Since being sick alone was no fun, a futon had been set up in Usagi's room and that was where Ranma spent pretty much her entire day, which consisted mainly of napping, eating chicken noodle ramen, and then napping some more. Since it was a lazy Sunday afternoon, they didn't miss much.

The monotony was broken for a short time when Ikuko came into the room with the phone. "Usagi dear," she said softly when she saw her daughter was awake. "Rei's on the phone."  
Usagi rolled over in her bed so that her back was to her mother. "Tell her I'm sick. I don't want to talk on the phone right now."  
Ikuko blinked. "You must be really sick if you don't want to talk on the phone. Maybe I should take you to see a doctor." There was no reply and Ikuko left, concern painting her features.

A short time later, an insistent beeping sound began coming from the general area of Usagi's desk. The blond didn't seem to notice, or simply decided to ignore it, but after a few minutes of listening to the annoying 'beep, beep, beep,' Ranma finally got up to find out what the problem was while trying to ignoring a dull throbbing in the back of her head courtesy of her cold. After searching through the clutter engulfing the top of the desk, she finally discovered that the sound was coming from something that resembled a pink watch with a lid that had to be lifted so you could view the time.

"Usagi, your watch is beeping. How do I shut it up?"  
"It's not a watch," mumbled Usagi. "It's a communicator."

"Huh?"

Usagi rolled back over so that she was facing Ranma. "A communicator. It's like a phone only it looks like a watch."

Ranma stared down at the thing she was holding. "Sorta like James Bond, huh? Doncha' wanna answer it?"  
"No," stated Usagi decisively. 

"Well then, can I answer it so it'll stop beeping? That sound's drivin' me nuts."

Usagi considered Ranma's offer for a moment and then nodded. "Just make sure I don't have to talk to whoever's there. Open the top if you want to talk."

Ranma flipped open the watch and was greeted with the image of a girl about Usagi's age with long, raven black hair. "Wow, you even get to see the person you're talkin' to. This thing's pretty neat."

_"Who are you!?"_ demanded the girl.

"You're the one callin' me. You tell me who you are first."

The girl's eyes narrowed. _"I'm not calling you. I'm calling Usagi. Where is she?"_

"Around. Who are you?"

Ranma could almost hear the girl's teeth grinding together. She was silent for a long moment before finally saying, _"I'm Rei. Now put Usagi on!"_

Ranma shook her head, then winced as the motion incited the dull throb at the back of her skull to become a sharp pain. "Can't do that. She doesn't want to talk to you."

_"Listen you—"_

"I'm Ranma."

_"Listen Ranma,"_ growled Rei. _"Put Usagi on NOW!"_

Ranma assumed a pensive pose. "Tell ya what. Give me the password and I'll let ya talk to Usagi." Usagi, who could hear the entire conversation, giggled loudly.

_"I heard that!"_ exclaimed Rei. _"I know Usagi's there! Let me—"_

"Sorry," interrupted Ranma, "wrong answer. Good bye." She flipped the lid shut, effectively ending the conversation.

Usagi burst into laughter. "That was great! I wish I could have seen the expression on her face."

Ranma tossed the communicator back on top of the desk. "Who was that?"

Instantly Usagi's mirth died. "Just someone I know…someone I _knew_," she replied, turning to gaze out the window.

Ranma knew better than to press the matter. She just lay back down on her futon and attempted to get some rest. After staring at the ceiling for several minutes though, she came to the conclusion that despite how tired she felt, sleep would not be coming any time soon. There were just too many thoughts and questions spinning through her head to be conductive to getting some rest.

"Usagi," she said at last, "you still awake?"

"Yeah."

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

There was a slight pause. "Sure."  
"Yesterday, in the bathroom, when you found out I was a guy… Why didn't you tell your parents or kick me out or hit me or somethin'?"

"Should I have?"

Ranma shrugged, but then realized Usagi couldn't see her. "Most girls would have."

Usagi chuckled. "I suppose they would." Ranma heard movement on the bed and suddenly Usagi's head popped up in front of her. "See this?" asked Usagi, pointing to her black eye. "This was given to me by someone I once called friend. Now I call her enemy, because I have to. The girl you saved me from yesterday and the girl you talked to today are also my enemies now. I have no friends, Ranma. I have no one to talk to, no one to confide in. All of a sudden I'm very alone in the world."

Ranma gaped. "And you want me to be your…" She trailed off, not sure she actually understood what Usagi was saying.

"Be my friend, if you would." Unshed tears glistened in Usagi's eyes. "I don't care if you're a girl or a guy or both, things like that don't really matter. You didn't have to rescue me yesterday, but you did. You're a nice person with a good heart. I would like it if you would be my friend."

Ranma didn't know what to say. Throughout her entire life, no one had ever given Ranma anything without expecting something in return. And now here she was practically an adopted member of the Tsukino family and no one had asked her to give more than she was willing to offer. Usagi had now asked for her friendship, but that was a two way street that would benefit them both.

"It's been a long time since I had a real friend," said Ranma softly. "Everyone I know is always trying to fight me or marry me, even people I once thought were my friends. That's part of the reason why I rebelled against my parents. The forced marriage was the major reason, but I needed to get away from there. I needed to start over. I think… I think I would like to be your friend, Usagi."

Usagi's smile put the sun to shame. "Thank you Ranma."

******

Rei hurled her communicator across the room with a frustrated scream. "That… that… little red headed bitch! Who the hell does she think she is?!"  
Minako turned her gaze away from the window she was staring out of and looked over at Rei. The priestess was beet red and it was a wonder steam wasn't coming out of her ears. Ami was sitting right next to Rei, but she was lost in thought and oblivious to the raging girl who was now taking her anger out on an innocent stuffed bear.

"What's going on?" asked Makoto as she entered the room. The brunette had a haggard look, as though she hadn't slept well last night. 

Rei began to give a play by play of her recent conversation, but it was delivered in a furious round of shouting that no one could understand. After being asked several times to calm down, she gave each girl a furious glare and then stomped from the room.

Makoto stared after the priestess. "Anyone else want to try?"

"Someone else answered the communicator," replied Ami, who seemed to have finally returned to the here and now. "A girl who called herself Ranma. She would not let Rei speak with Usagi and managed to do a fine job of angering her in the process. She matches the description of the girl Haruka ran into yesterday."

"Why would Usagi let someone else answer her communicator?" asked Makoto. Looking closer, Minako noted a slight puffiness around Makoto's eyes, an indication that she had been crying some time ago. Minako hoped that her makeup hid the redness rimming her own eyes.

"It seems," mused Ami, "that Usagi has acquired a bodyguard."

"Why the hell does she need a bodyguard?!" demanded Rei as she stormed back into the room. Before anyone could attempt to answer the question, she once again started ranting about her mistreatment by the redhead.

Minako went back to staring out the window. "Maybe she needs a new bodyguard because her old guardians abandoned her," she said in a soft voice no one else could hear. "Maybe she needs a bodyguard because she's afraid of the people she once thought were her friends." A single tear slid down her cheek.


	5. Regrets

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 5: Regrets

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG 13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been kinda busy lately. Special thanks go out to Bambi Star for helping with this chapter, as well as the last one. She's a really good writer and some of her stuff is posted here (ff.net) so you should go check it out.

Disclaimer: Me no own characters in story. No sue. Me hate lawyers. Me bash with club! Bash! Bash! 

******

"There is no way I'm gonna wear that to school!"   
Usagi's left eye twitched. "What are you going to do then? Go naked!?"  
Ranma looked down at Usagi's school uniform, which was laid out across her bed, and grumbled something unintelligible. Since the clothes Ranma had arrived in were trashed and she had no others with her, it had been decided that she would have to wear some of Usagi's clothes until new ones could be purchased. Since all of Usagi's clothes were, of course, girl's clothes, Ranma was not happy.

"I don't see why I have to go to school anyways," muttered Ranma.

Usagi heaved a sigh of exasperation. They had been over this a dozen times already. The one stipulation that had been placed on Ranma by Usagi's parents was that she had to attend school. Ranma hadn't seemed too upset with the idea until it had been revealed that she would have to wear a girl's school uniform. She had tried to play like she was too sick to go to school today, but the colds they had caught had passed quickly, leaving them with only stuffy noses and a slight feeling of lethargy. 

"I just don't understand why this is such a problem," stated Usagi. "You're a girl now. What's so bad about wearing girl's clothing?"  
"I'm not a girl, I'm a guy!"

They'd had been over this a dozen times as well, and Usagi still couldn't follow Ranma's twisted logic. 

"But you're not a guy right now," she explained slowly. "Wearing girl's clothing while you're a girl is not embarrassing or demeaning. Especially not with a body like that."  
Ranma's face flamed. "I don't like being a girl," she muttered.

Usagi had figured that out quick enough. Late last night, the realization that she would have to spend all her time as a girl while staying at the Tsukino residence had finally dawned on Ranma. This had made her none too happy and she had been ready to brave the streets once again. The only thing that kept her from leaving was the friendship she had forged with Usagi. A tenuous friendship born of little more than a shared feeling of loneliness.

"You only have to wear it for one day. We'll find you a boy's uniform today when we go shopping."

Ranma glared down at the skirt. "Just one day," she stated firmly. "No more than that."

"Finally," muttered Usagi under her breath. "You'll have to borrow one of mom's bras, I don't think mine will fit you."

Ranma's eyebrows rose, threatening to climb all the way to her hairline. "Bra? I ain't wearing no bra!"

Not again. "The shirt is white, Ranma. Unless you want to attract the wrong kind of attention you should definitely wear a bra. Besides," she added with a smile, "you'd probably knock yourself out if you tried to run without one."

A redness crept into Ranma's cheeks, part embarrassment, but also part anger. "Oh, ha, ha. I see it's comedy hour at Usagi's."

Usagi flushed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Shaking her head, Ranma said, "Don't worry about it." She heaved a sigh. "I've worn worse outfits then this before. I'll live for a day, but I still don't like it." Ranma rubbed at the back of her head, suddenly looking uneasy. "I don't suppose you could um…ask your mom about the…bra?"

Usagi nodded gladly. At this point she would have done almost anything just to get Ranma dressed and out the door. For once in her life, Usagi had actually woken up early so that she would have plenty of time to help her new friend out and ensure that the day's start went smoothly. With Ranma's constant harping over having to wear a dress though, they were getting dangerously close to being late for school.

A short time later, the two girls were on their way to that wonderful place where knowledge is pumped in one ear and shoved out the other when more interesting things such as manga and video games are granted space inside the brain. They had their lunches, their school bags, and their nice clean uniforms. And, of course, Ranma was carting around her katana.

Usagi wondered idly what her teachers would think of that.

Her father had provided a scabbard for the broken sword, taking the one from his own broken katana. The sword had been wholly for display and hadn't even held an edge. A few years ago, Shingo had taken it down from its stand so he could play samurai and ninja. The end result of his little game was a shattered window and a broken sword. Kenji had had no regrets about parting with the empty sheath and was happy to see it get some use. The few questions he had had concerning Ranma's own blade had been deftly turned aside by the redhead, and Usagi was doubtful he would have been so generous had he known Ranma intended to haul the sword to school.

That morning, Ranma had borrowed some dark blue cloth from Ikuko and wrapped the sword carefully, tying the wrapping off near the hilt with a simple piece of string. Everyone had advised her against carrying the weapon to school, but the redhead had said something about "not letting it out of her sight" and ignored their warnings. Now, the wrapped katana was leaning against her shoulder and she didn't seem to be paying any attention to the odd looks she was receiving from others on the street. Usagi felt that it might not have been just the sword that drew looks, however. Ranma fidgeted and played with her bra every five steps, causing Usagi no end of embarrassment. 

The pair arrived at school just as the first bell was ringing. Since neither of them relished spending the day standing in the hall, they made a mad dash for the classroom, Ranma following behind Usagi since she had no idea where they were headed.

Usagi was nearly out of breath when she burst into the classroom, but she was on time. A glance behind showed Ranma standing there calmly and not even breathing hard, as though a sprint across the courtyard and up three flights of stairs was nothing more than a walk down the street. She was looking past Usagi and grinning like a fool. Following her gaze, Usagi found Rei glaring back at the redhead, her eyes a pair of twin infernos.

"You're not going to cause trouble are you?" asked Usagi, softly so that only Ranma could hear the question.

Ranma's grin slipped away and was replaced by a slight frown. "I never try to cause trouble. Trouble always seems to find me, though."

"Another curse you forgot to mention?" Usagi's tone was joking.

Ranma's gaze became distant. "Sometimes I think so."

A shadow passed across Ranma's face then, and Usagi became a bit worried for her new friend. Before she could say anything though, a loud 'ahem' from behind her reminded Usagi of where she was. Looking over her shoulder, she found her teacher, Mrs. Tamaki, standing there with an impatient look on her face.

"I'm glad to see you made it on time today, Usagi, but I'd appreciate it if you would take your seat so that we can begin." The teacher's eyes moved to Ranma. "Who is this?"

"This is my friend Ranma. She's not enrolled here yet, but she will be soon, so I thought it would be nice to bring her with me to class and show her around a bit."

Ranma bowed slightly to the teacher as the older woman studied her newest pupil. Mrs. Tamaki's eyes found the wrapped sword immediately and her gaze hardened.

"We don't allow weapons at school, young lady. You will have to take your sword back home."

"It's not a sword," replied Ranma in a child-like voice. "It's my lucky stick."

The teacher arched an eyebrow. "Lucky stick? Let me see it then."

Ranma shook her head and clutching the wrapped bundle close to her chest. "I can't do that. If I show it to anybody it won't be lucky anymore. Bad things have always happened when I didn't have my lucky stick."

A few people in the class snickered, Usagi included if for different reasons.

It was obvious that Mrs. Tamaki wasn't buying Ranma's story, but there was little she could do about it short of calling up the principle, and that would disrupt her class further. Ranma didn't look particularly menacing, and since she was with Usagi—who was known as something of a slacker, but that was the only bad thing any of the teachers ever said about her—the teacher gave permission for her to stay.

"Take your seats you two," she said in a stern voice. "You've delayed class for long enough."

Usagi led Ranma to two open seats in the back, far away from Rei and Minako, who shared this class with her. She felt their eyes watching her, but refused to acknowledge they even existed. Ranma, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy meeting Rei's fiery glare with a lopsided grin. Although she wasn't sure she approved of Ranma's cocky behavior, Usagi was glad to see her friend was back in high spirits.

Sitting down at her desk, Usagi stared straight ahead and tried hard to keep a cheery look on her face, a difficult task given the fact that she suddenly felt like breaking down into tears. Ranma's grin remained even after Rei had ceased to pay her any attention. It lasted until the boy sitting next to her leaned over and whispered something Usagi couldn't hear. The grin vanished and Ranma favored the boy with an intense glare that caused the boy's face to go ashen. The boy didn't even glance at the redhead for the remainder of the class, but Ranma's features remained dark and Usagi wondered what had been said.

The morning passed in that dull, sleep-inducing manner that seemed to be an integral part of all school days. Usagi had to work to keep her eyes open as the teacher droned on about whatever it was she happened to be talking about. Her mind drifted across the events of the last few days and she invariably found herself staring across the room at the backs of Minako and Rei.

They didn't seem to be giving the teacher much of their attention either. Minako was gazing out the window and Rei was staring down at her notebook, pencil poised above the paper as though she were about to write something, but that pencil never moved. Undoubtedly they were both thinking of how best to wrest the Ginzuishou from her grasp.

Usagi's eyes narrowed. She wouldn't let them have it. Ever. 

Rei suddenly turned to look in Usagi's direction, and the blonde's eyes jerked forward. A slight flush entered her cheeks as she felt the burning intensity of her former friend's gaze. A voice in the back of her head told her to turn and meet the gaze, to stare the priestess down. But Usagi didn't want to give the priestess the satisfaction of knowing she even acknowledged her presence, so she kept her eyes locked straight ahead.

After what seemed like an eternity, the first half of the day ended with the discordant wailing of the lunch bell, informing the student body that they now had forty-five minutes to themselves. Grabbing Ranma's wrist, Usagi rushed out of the classroom with the redhead in tow.

"Whoa, Usagi! What's the hurry?"

"I uh…want to make sure we get a good spot for lunch," she lied.

In fact, Usagi wanted to make sure that Rei and the others didn't interrupt her lunch. The high school campus wasn't very large, but there were a lot of students and she felt confident in her ability to keep away from her former friends. That confidence vanished though, as she rounded a corner and saw Haruka and Michiru striding up the hallway, both of them wearing school uniforms.

"Damn! When did they enroll here?"

Ranma scratched her head. "Huh? Watcha talkin' about?"  
Without answering Ranma's question, Usagi did an about-face and hauled the redhead in a different direction. A glance over her shoulder showed that Haruka and Michiru had seen her, but they weren't following. That honor belonged to Makoto, who was trailing behind them with a determined look on her face.

Usagi was unable to shake the brunette even though the halls were packed with students. Makoto's towering height allowed her to easily pick out Usagi's one of a kind hairstyle amongst crowd. When she and Ranma burst outside into the crisp, autumn air, Makoto was right behind them. The others wouldn't be far behind her, Usagi was sure. Nothing for it, she supposed, but to simply face them. 

Stopping so suddenly that Ranma nearly ran into her, Usagi spun around and waited for Makoto to catch up. Ranma looked at Usagi uncertainly and then threw a confused glance back the way they had come before shrugging to herself and taking up a calm, relaxed stance at the blonde's side. An uneasy feeling passed through Usagi as she suddenly got the impression that her friend's relaxed stance and lazy expression were a façade, concealing something potentially dangerous.

Makoto reached Usagi and stopped a few feet in front of her. The brunette's green-eyed gaze was hard as it looked Usagi over before moving to study Ranma. She seemed to dismiss the redhead out of hand and returned her attention to Usagi.

"We need to talk, Usagi."

"I have nothing to say to you." Everything that needed saying had already been said. Usagi feared that if confrontations such as this one and the one with Uranus the other day continued, someone would get hurt. She had no concern for her own safety, but she truly did not want to see this incident come to blows.

Makoto's face softened and a pained expression crossed her features. "Please listen to me, Usagi. We still want to be your friends, we—"

"If you still wanted to be my friends then why did you side with them!?" Usagi felt tears threatening to fill her eyes and fought them down.

"We're not siding with anyone." Usagi reached up and rubbed her eye, a movement that was not lost on Makoto judging by the way she flinched, but the brunette continued anyways. "We don't…didn't want to hurt you, but we have to think about what's best for the future. If you're not the Princess, then we have to find out who is before it's too late."

"I _am_ the Princess!" How many times had she proven that? Why now, after everything they had been through together, did the others question her claim?

"Yet when the power of the Ginzuishou was needed, it failed you," stated Ami as she came to stand next to Makoto, her features as cool as a placid mountain lake. "This one incident is by no means conclusive, but we must consider the possibility that you were chosen as Princess erroneously."

Rei and Minako appeared then, taking up positions on the side of Makoto opposite Ami. To Usagi, it appeared as though a wall had been thrown up before her, one that she knew she would have to surmount if she wanted her life to count for anything. This brought an uncomfortable set of questions to the front of her mind. Would she go over the wall? Would she go around the wall? Or, may the gods forgive her, would she go through it?"

If she was lucky, that decision would never have to be made. But now was not the time to be giving these questions her consideration. There were more important things to be concentrating on.

A crowd was beginning to form around the six girls, curious to see why what was considered one of the best group of friends around was falling apart. Usagi had almost forgotten about Ranma, and she realized with only minor concern that she and the others had been discussing things that did not directly concern the rest of the world despite the fact that they would be affected by the outcome. Now, with a crowd gathered, they would have to be careful of what was said.

"Usagi, please…" ventured Minako hesitantly. "Please hear us out. We're still your friends, we still respect you." Minako's voice seemed sincere, but the words grated in Usagi's ears.

"Friends trust each other," she stated coldly. "Friends _believe_ in each other. I don't trust you anymore, and you don't believe in me. We aren't friends." Gasps and murmured exclamations of surprise came from the gathered crowd.  
Those last words were stated with finality, and it was as though a door had suddenly been slammed shut. Minako suddenly looked ill and Rei seemed to become angry, while both Ami and Makoto only seemed a bit startled. Usagi, the one of them who had always been ready to forgive anything, could not find it in her heart to let this slide. Her own words tore the blond up inside, though.

"Do you think she'll protect you from us?!" shouted Rei as she stepped forward and thrust a finger at Ranma, who just stared at the priestess with open confusion written on her features. "Will she take our place?! When the darkness comes again will this little girl fight while you hide under your bed?!"

"Calm down, Rei," said Makoto glancing around at the crowd nervously, but Rei didn't pay her any heed.

"You're selfish, Usagi, you always have been! This isn't about you, this is about the future! Hand over the brooch!"

Usagi held her ground as Rei took another step towards her. "Ranma is not my protector." Usagi's voice was ice to Rei's fire, strong and powerful, and having no intention of melting before the fierce flame. "She is my friend, something you seem to know little about, Rei. And if you think I'm going to give you the brooch just because you throw a tantrum like some spoiled child who can't have her favorite toy, think again."

Rei's eyes widened in indignation. "Give it to me!" she roared, throwing herself at Usagi with her hand outstretched to grab the brooch.

Usagi took a step back, but didn't turn and run as the voice in the back of her head screamed for her to do. She would not run from this, even if it meant she would lose. There was no need to worry about losing, though. Rei's hand stopped as though it had hit a brick wall half a foot in front of Usagi. The brick wall came in the form of Ranma, who, to everyone's surprise, suddenly had a firm hold on Rei's wrist. No one had seen the redhead move.

"Go home and play with your dolls, little girl," said Ranma coolly. "There's no candy for you here."

"Let me go!" Rei tugged at her arm, but Ranma held it firmly. She didn't even seem to be straining as Rei leaned backwards, putting all her weight into trying to free her trapped wrist. "LET ME GO!"

The inevitable happened then. Ranma let go and Rei tumbled backwards, landing hard on her rear with a startled squeal. The sight was comical, and many of the people in the crowd laughed, but Usagi didn't crack a smile. It wasn't funny, it was awful. Awful that once strong bonds of love and friendship had come to this. Friendships were supposed to last forever.

Despite what many people expected of her, Rei did not leap to her feet and try to claw Ranma's eyes out. Instead, she just continued to sit on the hard ground, staring blankly up at Usagi. Tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, ran down her cheeks and fell upon the bow adorning her uniform. Usagi couldn't understand this. It was her that had been hurt by the actions of Rei and the others. She should have been the one in tears.

Makoto and Minako moved to either side of the fallen priestess and helped her to her feet. Neither of them looked at Usagi or Ranma, who stood at her side looking confused and feeling more like a spectator then a participant. 

Usagi opened her mouth to say something, she didn't know what. To apologize? No, definitely not that. To offer words of comfort, to try and salvage something of this friendship before it was too late? The words would have seemed hollow had she spoken them, so she did not. Besides, it was already too late. Still, it felt as though she should say something, anything.

Usagi never found out what she was going to say, if anything. A loud scream cut her off and stole everyone's attention, including hers. The scream ended just as suddenly as it had began, and for a few moments the world was completely silent, as though it were holding its breath in anticipation of some momentous event. Then, all hell broke loose.

They ripped their way out of the ground, a writhing mass of bronze tentacles that lashed out at the crowd of students gathered there. A large cone shaped creature with a single, glaring red eye at its pinnacle followed the tentacles out of the ground. Suffice to say, everyone gathered took off in random directions at a dead run while screaming their lungs out.

Almost everyone.

"Ranma!" Shouted Usagi as she grabbed at her friend's wrist and tried to pull her away from the monster. "We've gotta get outta here!"

"I can't just leave this thing here!" returned the redhead. "I've gotta do somethin' to stop it!"

What, thought Usagi, she's got a suicide wish or something? "You can't stop that thing! It's big and ugly and a lot stronger than you are! The Senshi will deal with it! Now let's get outta here!"

Ranma seemed to be ignoring her, but at that moment Usagi ceased to care. One of the creature's tentacles reached down and wrapped itself around her waist, lifting her into the air effortlessly. Opening her mouth wide, Usagi screamed with everything she had.

Suddenly the monster bellowed in pain, and Usagi was falling back to the ground with the tentacle still firmly attached to her waist. It wasn't a long fall, but she still ended up on her butt thanks to her clumsy nature. A quick look around showed that the tentacle had been severed and Ranma was standing over her protectively with the broken katana in hand.

Sheathing the blade, Ranma picked Usagi up and disentangled her from the remains of the tentacle. "I've gotta get you outta here."

Over Ranma's shoulder, Usagi saw another tentacle descending with the intent of crushing the pair. "Watch out!"

All of a sudden, the world dropped out from underneath Usagi. She screamed again, thinking that surely another tentacle had managed to grab her. Her hysterics ended abruptly as she realized that it was Ranma who held her, one arm under her legs, the other supporting her back with the hand lightly gripping her shoulder, the katana resting in her lap. Below them and off to the left a bit, the monster was roaring in frustration as it watched its prey escape.

Then they were descending. The air whipped past Usagi, causing her ponytails to stream up into the air marking their passage through the sky. They landed, there was a slight give as Ranma's legs bunched up beneath her, and then they were airborne again. Usagi watched the school streak past, first floor, second floor, third, fourth, fifth, and then the school was gone and her gaze was thrown out across the city.

Usagi was suddenly reminded of all the times that Tuxedo Mask had carried her in his arms. She remembered all the happy times spent with his strong arms wrapped protectively around her. Times that would never exist again. Unbidden tears welled up in her eyes as something cold and unpleasant squeezed her heart.

"Are you all right?" asked a worried voice. "That monster didn't hurt ya did it? I don't see any injuries. You scared of heights?"

Usagi realized the questions were coming from Ranma, and that they were no longer in the air. She scrubbed away the tears blurring her vision and looked around. They were on the roof of the school. From far down below them, she could hear the sounds of combat and the familiar voices of the Senshi shouting to one another.

Ranma squeezed her shoulder gently. "You okay? I didn't mean to scare ya." There was a look of concern in the redhead's eyes.

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine. It's just…" She crawled over to the edge of the roof, not trusting her legs to support her. Watching her friends fight the monster threatened to bring the tears back.

"Who are they?" asked Ranma.

"Huh? You've never heard of the Sailor Senshi?"

Ranma shook her head. "Nah. From the looks of things, I suppose they might have been in the news or somethin', but I don't pay much attention to stuff like that." She watched as they took the cone shaped monster apart. "Whoever they are, they're saving me a bunch of trouble."

Usagi blinked up at her friend. She hadn't really been going to fight that thing, had she? Remembering the way Ranma had cut that tentacle off of her, remembering the way she moved, how high she could jump, Usagi was sure she had meant to do just that. 

"I take it that this means school is out for the day?" asked Ranma.

"Uh…Yeah," replied Usagi, her mind a confused jumble of emotions that she couldn't seem to sort out. "They usually cancel classes for things like this."

Ranma looked down at her. "You mean stuff like this happens often around here?"

"Well, I wouldn't say often, but uh…yeah, actually, I suppose it does happen often. This place seems to attract problems."

Ranma grunted. "So it's not just me, huh?" Turning to Usagi, she grinned. "Since school's over, let's go shopping so I can get out of this stupid skirt."

That's right, Ranma was a man, Usagi had almost forgotten about that. Rising unsteadily to her feet, she nodded. "Let's get some ice cream first, though." Peering over the edge, she asked, "Umm…How do we get down?"

Ranma's grin broadened and she scooped Usagi up in her arms. "Same way we got up here in the first place." Then they were falling.

******

Nodoka sat on the porch of the Tendou dojo and gazed out at the koi pond. She didn't see it though, not really. Her eyes were staring at things far distant and intangible. The Saotome matriarch looked into the past, contemplated the future, and marveled at her own stupidity. 

In one fell swoop she had managed to alienate the one person she loved more than life itself. Her actions, born of foolish pride, had driven her son away, possibly to never return. She had not actually expected her son to commit seppuku. It had simply been a scare tactic to try and force him into doing the right thing. What _she_ considered the right thing.

Yes, that had been her mistake, the flaw in her logic. The right thing in her mind was not necessarily the right thing in the mind of her son. Ranma had spoken true the day he had left. She had not acted as a mother should, offering comfort when it was needed and asking him what he wanted to do with his life. Instead, she had only tried to mold him into what she felt he should be.

The sound of someone wailing loudly drifted to her ears from deeper inside the house. That would be Soun with his hourly fit over having no one to carry on his dojo. Genma's voice could heard as well, raised in an attempt to comfort his long time friend. Both men were fools in Nodoka's opinion, but no more foolish then she when everything was considered. It was she, after all, who had allowed her husband to take her son away all those years ago. 

That, she felt, had been the beginning of this, the event that had snowballed into a clash of two unbending wills. Ranma was her own flesh and blood, and it pained Nodoka to know that she wasn't wanted in his life. 

A soft sigh escaped her lips. What was she to do? If she had had the first notion of where to look, she would have left that minute in search of her son. But for all Nodoka knew, Ranma could be halfway to China by now. Hanging her head in despair, she bit back the tears that threatened to burst forth.

Nodoka heard the front door open and then Kasumi's singsong voice raised in greeting. "Oh, hello, Nabiki. What are you doing home from school so early?"

"Follow me and I'll tell you. Where's everyone else?" There was a note of urgency in Nabiki's voice and Nodoka thought that, for a moment, the sky had suddenly grown darker.

Momentarily pushing the situation concerning her son to the back of her mind, Nodoka rose and entered the house just as Nabiki appeared, striding into the dining room with a look of concern and anxiety on her face. "What has happened, Nabiki?"

Nabiki regarded the older woman for a moment, and then looked towards the sound of her father's sobbing. "I suppose it would be best if he didn't find out about this right away," she muttered.

Nodoka was beginning to become increasingly worried. Was losing her son not enough to satisfy the gods? Did they now see fit to involve the Tendous as well, striking out at her foolishness by harming them? Did she have to poison everything she touched.

She forced herself to clamp down on these dark thoughts. Nothing had been said yet, there was a chance this was not a horrible catastrophe. "Nabiki?" she asked in a controlled voice. "What's wrong?"

Never one to ring the truth with flowers, Nabiki gave a very short, very blunt rendition of what had happened. "A man in black and gold armor showed up at school today. He kidnapped Akane."


	6. Revelations

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 6: Revelations

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: Just want to say thanks to Bambi Star for once again taking time out of her day to make this chapter that much better. 

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story…except for the bad guys. They're mine; for all that it matters.

******

Ice cream is considered by many to be the comfort food of choice, ranking just above chocolate anything. Why this is so, is something that scientists around the world have been endeavoring to discover for many years now. Despite having spent millions of tax dollars on high-tech machinery, state of the art brain analyzing equipment, and roughly 635,000 gallons of 'Ben and Jerry's' though, research seems to be going nowhere.

The process involved in studying ice cream as an antidepressant goes something like this:

First, one of the scientist becomes very depressed using such renowned methods as "I Just Want To Be Friends," "The Cat Was Hit By A Car," and the ever popular "My Mother Is Coming For A Visit." After becoming suitably melancholy, the chosen scientist—they never use test subjects or lab assistants—gorges him or herself on randomly chosen flavors of ice cream. Test results have shown that the subject perks up seventy-nine percent of the time after eating ice cream, yet no one has been able to figure out why this is so.

The problem exists within the test results themselves. Whenever they reach the ice cream eating stage of the experiment, something always seems to go wrong. One of the expensive machines breaks down suddenly, the scientists who are supposed to be watching over the experiment go on their lunch break, or the power mysteriously goes out in the building and everyone is forced to eat all of the ice cream before it melts. This branch of research has yet to submit a decent report concerning their findings.

Despite being plagued with problems though, the ice cream division is the one all prominent scientists clamor to be assigned to, so there is hope that eventually something will come of it. 

Ranma polished off her second chocolate sundae and peered into the empty bowl with a slight feeling of disappointment. She brightened considerably when she noted a small pool of chocolate that had eluded her, and used her finger to scoop it out of the bowl into her waiting mouth. Smacking her lips in contentment, she leaned back in her chair with a blissful smile and debated on whether or not she should order another one.

Her companion had much more important things on her mind. "This isn't working."

"Hmmm?" Ranma looked over at Usagi, who was sitting across the table from her. The blonde was poking disinterestedly at her own, half-eaten sundae, which Ranma eyed hungrily. "What's not working?"

Usagi left her spoon sticking up out of her sundae like a flag and pushed it aside. Laying her arms on the table, she rested her chin on top of them and gazed down forlornly at the tabletop. "The ice cream. I still feel depressed."

That was understandable. From what Ranma could determine, those four girls at the school earlier had once been Usagi's closest friends. Now they seemed set against her for some reason. Something to do with a Princess and that brooch Usagi was so fond of. That didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Ranma was somewhat used to life not making much sense.

"Those girls at school…" She paused, unsure as to whether or not her words would open fresh wounds, then plunged ahead. "They were the ones you told me about right? One of them is the one that hit you?"

Usagi looked up at Ranma, her blue eyes misting over for a moment. "Yeah," she said softly, "that was them."

Ranma nodded, somewhat unsure as to where to take the conversation from here. She had no idea what was really going on between Usagi and her former friends, but she did know that the blonde was in need of comfort. Unfortunately, Ranma had never been good at providing emotional support. Still, Usagi had done so much for her in the last few days that the redhead felt she should offer what she could in return even if she had no experience at this kind of stuff.

"Do you want to, uh, talk… about it?" Usagi didn't say anything; just stared up at Ranma, her blue eyes studying the redhead as though searching her face in hopes of finding something she had lost. "I mean, ya know, I hear talking about your problems can, uh, help, or somethin'."

Rising, Usagi looked out the window, watching as people passed by the small ice cream shop she and Ranma had come to after the incident at school. "I need to go use the restroom," she said unexpectedly before walking towards the back of the shop.

Blinking in confusion, Ranma stared after Usagi. "Guess I blew that," she muttered to herself. "Shoulda just kept my mouth shut."

Letting out a long sigh, Ranma slumped forward in her chair, elbows on the table and eyes resting unseeingly on the half-eaten sundae Usagi had left behind. Her thoughts wandered over the events of the last few days as she tried to make some sense of her life. This was a difficult task given the fact that her life had never made much sense in the first place. What Ranma did manage to get out of her brief introspection was the sense that she was drifting through life with no real bearings.

Where was she going? How did she plan to get there? Before, when she had been traveling with her father and later when she was staying with the Tendous, these questions had had ready answers. She would marry Akane and carry on the dojo. But, as everyone had discovered just a few days ago, these answers were not the ones Ranma was looking for.

So then, what _was_ she going to do with her life? She sure couldn't spend the rest of her life living with Usagi.

"Excuse me, miss…" spoke a scratchy voice that intruded on her thoughts.

"Huh?" Ranma looked up to find an old man dressed in a faded blue and green kimono standing next to her. He was mostly bald, but a few wispy gray hairs appeared here and there, and a long beard flowed nearly to his waist. Two blue-gray eyes peered intently out of a face that still held strength despite its lined and weathered appearance. "Can I help ya with somethin'?"

"I was just admiring your sword," he replied, gesturing to the weapon taking up the seat next to Ranma. She had lost the cloth wrapping at school and so now the katana lay bare to the world. "It's very old, is it not?"

Ranma scratched her head. Seeing no real harm in telling the truth, she said, "I suppose so. It's supposed to be a family heirloom or somethin', so yeah, I guess it's probably pretty old."

"May I see it a moment?"

The redhead considered this request, eyeing the old man suspiciously. Her track record with old men was sketchy at best. Finally, she decided he seemed harmless enough and handed the katana over cautiously.

The old man drew the blade from the sheath, and Ranma almost snatched it back as several heads swiveled to stare at the sword. He looked it over carefully, seemingly ignoring the fact that it was broken. Setting the sheath aside, the old man ran his fingers over the bared steel, then he flicked the blade gently, causing it to give off a faint ringing noise. Nodding to himself, he resheathed the katana and handed it back to Ranma.

"It suits you," he said cryptically. "A strong blade for a strong warrior, but its edge is a bit dull. Once it finds a focus, it shall be a fierce weapon indeed." Then, before Ranma could say a word, he bowed and walked away.

For the second time in only a few minutes, Ranma was left staring after someone in pure confusion. "Whatever," she finally muttered, shaking her head and settling down to wait for Usagi to return.

******

The bathroom mirror threw Usagi's reflection back at her, but she wasn't sure she recognized the person it revealed. A girl whose shoulders sagged with a weight that was immeasurable, whose soft blue eyes were filled with unshed tears, whose features were etched with a pain that was felt deep down in her soul. She didn't like what she saw there in the mirror.

"Why?" she asked herself softly, the question pertaining to a great many things. No answers were forthcoming.

Sighing to herself, Usagi turned the faucet on and splashed her face with cold water, trying vainly to wash away the memory of what had happened at the school that afternoon. It did no good, the image of all her friends arrayed against her remained horribly vivid. Her hands gripped the side of the bathroom sink, squeezing until her knuckles went white and pain lanced through her fingers.

She couldn't go on like this! She was still thinking of them as her friends, but they weren't. They were the enemy now, just as she had told Ranma.

Ranma…

She, he, whatever, was the only ally Usagi had now, her only friend. That was why she had come in here in the first place, to decide what to tell Ranma. Trust was important in a friendship, in any relationship, but Usagi wouldn't be trusting her friend with only her secret; the secrets of the others would be on the line as well. Usagi's fists clenched, tightening around the porcelain sink until she thought for sure it would shatter.

The enemy had no secrets she had to hide from her friend.

Releasing her death grip on the sink and shutting off the faucet, Usagi left the bathroom and headed back to where Ranma was waiting for her. The redhead was slumped down in her seat staring off into the distance. She didn't even realize Usagi had returned until the blonde tapped her on the shoulder, startling her from whatever thoughts had been occupying her mind.

"Huh?!" exclaimed Ranma, her head jerking around. "Oh, you're back."

Usagi smiled. "C'mon, let's go for a walk."

Ranma blinked, a bit confused at the attitude shift. "Uh, okay, sure."

The pair left the ice cream shop and strolled down the street in comfortable silence. Ranma followed along next to Usagi and seemed on the verge of speaking several times, but each time she decided it would just be better if she kept quiet. Usagi was busy organizing her thoughts, trying to determine the best way of telling Ranma what she needed to know.

Usagi led Ranma to a nearby park that she knew of, both girls taking a seat on one of the benches dotting the scenic pathways meandering through the park. Even then they didn't speak for some time, each lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Usagi began to talk, gaining Ranma's full attention rapidly.

She told Ranma everything, starting at the very beginning and ending with the recent destruction of Pharaoh 90. Usagi showed the redhead the crystal hidden within her brooch, the prize that the enemy now sought to claim. She even talked about Mamoru, although just speaking his name threatened to cause her heart to break and tears to fall. When she was done, she sat there staring down at the ground, waiting for whatever reaction her words might bring about. 

A long silence stretched between the two. For a brief instant, fear wrapped its chill fingers around Usagi's heart. Would Ranma want nothing more to do with her now that she knew the truth? Would she be left friendless and along again? If that were the case then Usagi thought it would be better if she simply died.

A strong arm settled across her shoulders, offering comfort. "I'm sorry," said Ranma softly.

Usagi looked up and saw compassion in Ranma's features. She hadn't really expected this. "What?"

"I'm sorry," repeated the redhead. She fidgeted, looked uncomfortable for a moment, then continued. "I've never had any really close friends, so I can't say I know exactly what you're going through. I've never even had a real girlfriend, at least, no one I cared for as much as you cared about that Mamo jerk." 

Ranma looked away for a moment, then back again. "I do know that you're probably the nicest person I've ever met though, and that what those others did to you really hurt. If I knew what to say or do to make the pain go away, I would say or do it, but I've never been good at this sorta stuff. All I can say is that I'm sorry, and that…if you need me…I'll be here for you." Ranma suddenly looked abashed as she noted the tears leaking from Usagi's eyes. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to make you cry…."

Tears flowed freely down Usagi's face, and Ranma's words had indeed brought them out, but not in the way the redhead thought. Usagi embraced the redhead, burying her face in Ranma's chest. Unsure as to exactly what to do, Ranma held the blonde gingerly, patting her back.

"Thank you…" whispered Usagi. "Thank you…"

******

Mamoru watched from some distance away as Rei vented her increasingly ill temper on her grandfather, shouting at him about some small infraction she had most likely imagined. The usually easy going old man was obviously taken aback by the onslaught judging by his lack of witty comments. No one else paid Rei's tantrum much heed.

Each of the Senshi were wrestling with their own problems, trying to sort through the jumbled mass that comprised their feelings and doubts, remembering happier times. Only Haruka and Michiru seemed unfazed by recent events, sitting close together as they spoke in subdued voices. There was an air of tension about them though, as if they were waiting for something unpleasant and not wholly unexpected.

With a weary sigh, Mamoru rubbed at his eyes, which were grainy from lack of sleep. Every time he laid down and closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, he saw her face hanging over him, bright blue eyes filled with hurt and betrayal, pure rage showing in the set of her features. That image tore him up inside, rent his soul and left his heart aching and raw. 

But what was he supposed to do?! It was his duty to marry the future Queen of Crystal Tokyo, the Moon Princess. His fate had been cast millennia ago. He couldn't just toss it all aside because he thought, maybe, his feelings for Usagi ran deeper than he could ever imagine. Especially not now that a new enemy had appeared. They needed the strength that could only come from presenting a united front, one devoid of doubts. 

They also needed the Ginzuishou. Even if they couldn't use it's power, it would be better to have one of them guarding it, someone more…reliable than Usagi, who was no longer considered a member of the team in any case. They would need it when they found the true Moon Princess.

That was the main reason they had met this afternoon; besides discussing the attack at the school. How were they to gain possession of the Ginzuishou short of hitting Usagi over the top of the head and just taking it? That idea had been presented and discarded based on the fact that no one wanted to bring harm to their former leader. Mamoru thought it was too late for that, the injuries already inflicted on her were simply invisible to the rest of the world.

It had finally been decided that they would just have to wait for an opportunity for taking the crystal to present itself. At the insistence of Haruka and Michiru though, it had also been decided that if the situation became dire enough, they would take the Ginzuishou using whatever methods proved necessary. Mamoru saw the need for this stipulation, but it didn't sit well with him. The idea of hurting Usagi more than she had already been hurt caused him to feel slightly ill.

He turned to watch as the sun set. The blood red orb cast its hazy red light across the city and into the shrine courtyard where everyone was gathered, setting aflame the faces of the angry, the forlorn, and the stoic. Mamoru watched until the sun had finished its decent, and then pushed himself away from the wall he had been leaning against and headed for home. A few heads turned to watch him go, but no words of goodbye were spoken by anyone, including himself. Such words would have held too much finality for anyone, so they simply contented themselves with silence.

******

Nabiki watched the scene unfolding before her with only a passing interest, finding nothing new or amusing in the tear-spewing, roof raising tirade her father was currently engaged in. She did find it highly surprising that he was still coherent, though. The only reason she paid any attention at all was because it helped to take her mind from the current problem for a few moments. 

"This is all your fault, Saotome!" roared Soun, grabbing his boyhood friend by the collar of his gi and jerking him up so that their faces were inches apart. "If you hadn't allowed your son to walk out on my Akane, none of this would have happened!"

"Whoa there, Tendou," said Genma, wiping spittle from his face. "I had nothing to do with that and you know it. If you want to yell at someone, yell at Ranma. Hah, I'll even help you beat him up when we find him! Foolish boy! Disrespecting his elders like that!"

Soun began shaking Genma then, tears spraying from his eyes. "But we'll never find him in time!" he wailed. "Not before…!" He released Genma and collapsed to his knees. "AKANE!!" Watching the waterfalls gushing from her father's eyes, Nabiki wondered if maybe she should go get a bucket so they could start bailing before they all drowned.

"There, there, Tendou," comforted Genma, patting Soun on the back. "We'll get her back somehow. Well… maybe not we, but you, or maybe someone else. What about that Ryoga boy that's always hanging around here? I bet he could do it since my worthless coward of a son isn't around. He…" Genma trailed off as he suddenly became aware of the harsh blue glow surrounding Nodoka, who had been forgotten at the head of the table..

"You will _not_ speak of our son in that manner, husband," she said coolly, one hand twitching towards the katana that was no longer there.

"But…uh…what about…" Nodoka's eyes narrowed and Genma looked as though he might wet himself. "Yes, dear," he squeaked.

Nodoka held him with her gaze for a few moments before turning it on Nabiki. It softened then, and the glow faded. She no longer looked angry, only very tired and very old. Lines that had not been there a few days ago now marred her features.

"You can find him?" It was almost a statement.

Silence suddenly descended over all those gathered there as everyone turned to look at the middle Tendou daughter. Even Kasumi, who had said nothing on the matter so far, now looked to her younger sister, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. Even her constantly cheerful demeanor could only take so much before it crumbled.

"Ten days," said Nabiki simply. "If he's still in Japan. If not…" she trailed off. It would take months and there was a good chance she would never find Ranma. Her contacts outside of Tokyo were unreliable at best, outside of the country they were virtually nonexistent. Still, she saw the hope shining in the eyes of all her family and friends and could not bring herself to shatter it. Ice Queen indeed. "Ten days," she repeated, rising from where she knelt at the dining room table.

Outside, a crimson sun was setting, falling towards the distant horizon like a bloody tear. Nabiki watched it make its slow passage down behind the towering skyscrapers that dominated the skyline, lighting the sky on fire as it went. Then she turned and headed for her bedroom. There were phone calls she had to make, favors she had to call in.

"Hold on sis'," she said quietly to herself.

******

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!!" screamed Akane, straining to free herself from her bonds.

Her words bounced from the walls of the darkened room, echoing eerily in the blackness surrounding her. There was no answer. Akane growled. Someone was going to pay for this, pay dearly!  
She had been knocked unconscious during her fight with that weird armor guy who had showed up at the school earlier that day…or maybe it had been yesterday, or even longer, she had no real idea. Akane had awakened here, alone in the darkness with only a few small blue lights glowing on a nearby interment panel to keep her company. She was hanging spread eagle in the air, her hands and feet firmly trapped within steel cylinders.

The fact that she had lost the fight at school so easily made her angry. The fact that she was trapped in a very uncomfortable manner and had been so for what seemed like several hours, also did nothing to improve her mood. But what really made her mad was the fact that she was completely naked. Whatever pervert had stripped her while she was unconscious was going to regret it when she escaped. And if they had done more than just strip her… She found herself wondering what it would feel like to kill someone.

Of course, all this was dependent on her escaping first. The bonds that held her feet and hands appeared to be quite strong and very unwilling to release her no matter how much she strained. As much as she hated to admit it, she was going to need help in escaping. And where was she going to get this help?

Akane hung her head. Not from Ranma, the man she had relied on so many times in the past. He was gone from her life forever. A wave of sorrow washed over her at this thought. Here, alone in the dark with no one to spy out her feelings, she could admit that she cared for him. Cared for him more deeply than she had ever admitted, even to herself.

Suddenly the darkened room was flooded with light as a door slid open, allowing the light from the hallway outside to shine in. Akane squinted into the light, trying to see whomever it was that was finally coming to pay her a visit. She could make out nothing but a dark outline framed in the doorway. It wasn't the man from earlier, of that she was sure. This person was much too small.

"Greetings, Akane Tendou," greeted the figure as it stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind it.

It was a mans voice, and Akane felt her face burn with rage and embarrassment.

"LET ME GO, PERVERT!!" she bellowed.

There was a soft 'click,' and lights in the ceiling above switched on, chasing the darkness into the far corners of a small room constructed from steel panels. Aside from the contraption that held Akane, which consisted of two cylinders bolted into the ceiling and two to the floor, the only other things in the room were a table covered with vials and jars, and a large computer sitting along the wall directly across from Akane. 

As she had concluded upon seeing the outline of her visitor, the man standing before her was not the one that had attacked her earlier. He was shorter and of much slighter build. Black robes trimmed in gold fell over what she suspected to be a bony frame, the darkness of his clothing clashing violently with the stark paleness of his gaunt face. Short-cropped black hair seemed to stick up from his scalp in every direction, openly defying gravity in some cases. Two very tired brown eyes studded Akane intently, causing her face to turn brilliant scarlet and sending her anger through the roof.

"YOU %$@# PERVERT!! WHEN I GET OUT OF HERE YOU ARE SO @#$&% DEAD!! YOU HEAR ME, YOU &$%#@ BASTARD?!! IF YOU SO MUCH AS TOUCH ME I'LL RIP YOUR BALLS OFF AND HANG THEM ON MY MANTLE!!"

"Oh dear," said the man, looking very taken aback. "I'm afraid you completely misunderstand our intentions. I do not desire you in any sexual way and I would not resort to such vulgar means as this if I did."

Akane was trying to work moisture back into her mouth, preparing for another tirade, when it suddenly came to her that she believed this man. She wasn't sure why she believed him, just that she felt he was being perfectly honest with her. This, however, did not make her any happier with the current situation.

"If that's true then give me back my clothes!!" she shouted.

The man shook his head. "I can't do that, they would interfere with the transfer of magical energies needed to conduct the transfiguration. I'm afraid that you will have to spend the next several days unclothed."

Transfiguration? "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME!?" Yelling a lot helped keep the fear that was welling up in her stomach down.  
"Would you please not yell so loud?" asked the man as he removed his hands from over his ears. "I can assure you I can hear you quite well."

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!!"

The man winced. "Umm… That is not such an easy question to answer. You see, it involves a lot of magical and scientific theories that I do not believe your race can understand at this point in your evolution." He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry."

Akane swallowed hard, trying to work up the energy to shout some more. All that previous yelling had dried out her mouth and her throat was becoming sore. She felt that she had only one more good shout left in her. Best to save that for later. Right now she needed information.

Taking a deep breath, she calmly asked, "What _can_ you tell me?"

A long moment of silence ensued as the man considered this question. "I will tell you who we are, why we are here, and what part you are to play in all of this," he finally said, then paused for another few moments so that he could order his thoughts.

"My name is Geail. The man you fought at the school was my brother Vanik." A pained expression crossed Geail's features. "It may not have seemed like it at the time, but the fight between the two of you wore him out considerably. He was low on energy, you see, and should not have been fighting in any case. We really had no choice though, and he is well, only a bit tired, so everything worked out.

"But I digress. My brother and I are not from your world, or even your solar system. We are from a distant planet known as Phokah." Geail let out a tired sigh and his gaze became distant. "Once it was a beautiful world, vibrant and teeming with life. Our race worked with both the powers of magic and technology, building a civilization that was wondrous. We navigated the heavens, our peoples spilling out across our solar system and beyond. And that was how we discovered the Roh Shin, another highly evolved race of beings."

Geail's face became a mask of anger. "We did nothing to them! Nothing to provoke the wrath they directed towards us! We sought only peace and an exchange of knowledge, but they would not listen. The Roh Shin attacked, and many lives were lost." The anger melted away, replaced by a very weary look in his eyes. "Our powers were equally matched, but I feel that this was more of a detriment then a help. If either side had been notably stronger then perhaps we would have been able to avoid the fate that awaited us.

"The war between our races was long and brutal, spanning some six decades. I will not sicken you with the details, only tell you that in the end it was we who were victorious. But the price was high. Our colonies were smashed, the Roh Shin were mounting a massive attack on our home world, throwing everything they had left at us in a last ditch attempt to win the war they had started. We had no chance of repelling them with what little remained of our forces. Our armies were shattered, our greatest warriors killed long ago. But we did have one last card to play.

"Our most powerful magi—those that remained—tapped into the very life force of our planet and used it as a weapon against the invading Roh Shin. With such power in our possession we wiped them out easily. It was very impressive to watch, but the repercussions for using such a tactic were two fold. First, and least, was the fact that we lost all those magi who had brought their powers together to save us. The second effect was much more devastating.

"Even as we celebrated our victory, we noted that something was wrong. There was a feel in the air, one that spoke of death and decay. We looked around us then, really looked, and we realized something terrible. Our world was dying, falling apart before our very eyes. In our final efforts to repel the Roh Shin, we had exhausted the life force of our planet, effectively killing it. And with it went the last of our people, slowly wasting away along with Phokah."

Akane could not help but feel sympathy for this man and the others of his race dying somewhere far away. She never considered the fact that he might be lying to attain just such a reaction from her. For some reason she could not explain, she knew Geail told the truth, that he would not lie to her in order to further whatever cause he served.

"What does this all have to do with me?"

Geail looked up at her then, and hope flickered briefly in his eyes. "There is a way to save our planet. It exists here on the Earth, a powerful crystal known as the Ginzuishou. But seven powerful warriors known as the Sailor Senshi hold this crystal, guarding against those who would seek its power for their own. Perhaps you have heard of them?" Akane shook her head, and the man continued. "We must have the Ginzuishou if our race is to live, but we no longer have the strength to wrest it from the Senshi's grasp without help."

"If you need it so badly, why not just ask them for it?" asked Akane. "I'm sure they'd give it to you if they knew it would save an entire race."

"If only it were so easy. The Senshi are indeed kind and would no doubt wish to help if they heard of our plight, but they could not give up the Ginzuishou even if it meant saving my people. The crystal is this planets only defense against the dark creatures that wander the universe searching for places just like the Earth, where there is an abundance of energy for them to devour." He shook his head. "No, the Senshi would not hand over the Ginzuishou and I would not expect them to do so. This, however, means that we must take it from them.

"As I stated earlier though, we do not have the strength to do this alone. That is where you come in."

Akane couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. How could she possibly help these people after being so easily defeated by Geail's brother? And even if there was a way…

"I won't help you," she stated forcefully. 

A small smile crossed the man's lips as he gazed up at her. "Of course you won't. Not willingly. But you and the others will help us after we… change you. I am sorry for this, but it is the only way and I am more than willing to sacrifice this planet to save my own."

The sympathy Akane had felt earlier was rapidly being replaced by anger once more. "Others? What others?! And what do you mean change?! What are you going to do to me?!"

"I believe you know the other two girls we have taken captive. The ones called Ukyou and Shampoo. You should feel honored. The three of you are the most powerful young women on this planet, aside from the Senshi, of course. A pity we couldn't use your other friend, Ranma, but the process I will be using to enhance the three of you only works on females."

Honored? Enhance? "LET ME GO!!"

Geail sighed. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go see about the others." He turned his back on her then, ignoring her loud stream of colorful and descriptive tortures that would be inflicted on him when she managed to free herself. Just before stepping out of the room, Geail paused and turned back to Akane. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I truly wish there was another way."

Then he was gone, turning off the lights as he left and leaving Akane alone in the dark once more.


	7. Fair Play

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 7

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 7: Fair Play 

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: The people at ff.net have deleted the versions of this story that were placed in the SM and Ranma section of the archive (All my reviews for those versions are also gone. Grrrr…). Apparently I'm only allowed to post stories in one category. Just thought you should know that in case you had trouble finding this story. Anyway, this chapter isn't all that good. It lacks a bit of substance, but I promise the next chapter will be much better. Thanks go out to Bambi Star and Comet Moon for helping me bring you a better, richer, more grammatically correct chapter =)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story.

******

"Someone's watchin' us again," muttered Ranma. She was walking down the street along with Usagi, heading home from school.

Usagi glanced over her shoulder, nearly tripping over a crack in the sidewalk for her trouble. Regaining her balance and making sure her eyes stayed firmly locked on whatever perils might lie ahead, she said, "It's Rei." 

Ranma rolled her eyes. "Should've guessed. Usually there's an itch when I feel someone watchin' me, but this time it was like my back was on fire." The redhead glanced back down the sidewalk. "She's gone now."

"Of course," stated Usagi angrily. "They never stick around once they realize they've been spotted."

It seemed that one of Usagi's former friends was always watching them of late. For the last week, at least one of them had always been around when the pair was headed to school, at school, and on their way home from school. There were a couple of times when they had been trailed while wandering around downtown as well. It was beginning to grate on both their nerves.

"I wish they'd just challenge us to a fight or somethin' and get it over with," growled Ranma. Smacking herself in the forehead, she exclaimed, "I can't believe I just said that! Challenges and fights with idiots are what I'm tryin' to avoid."

Usagi was silent for several minutes. Finally she said, "I wonder what they're waiting for."

"For us to drop our guard, of course. They know they can't beat us in a straight out fight, so they're hopin' ta catch us at a weak moment. Feh! It ain't gonna happen so they might as well quit with all this following us around crap."

Usagi replied nothing, keeping her thoughts on the matter to herself. Ranma was a good fighter, she knew that much from the incident at the school earlier that week, but she would stand no chance against more than one of the Senshi, and then it would still be close. Even if she herself helped in such a battle, it would still be six against two… Not good odds.

It seemed that Ranma was correct in her assessment of the situation, though. The Senshi showed no signs that they were about to descend upon the two of them in a flurry of super powered attacks, as Usagi had initially feared. They had just been skulking about all week, watching from a distance or the concealment of shadows. There was a permanent crick in her neck from always looking over her shoulder. 

But it was Friday now, and she had a chance to relax. There were no prying eyes at home, not even Luna. The Moon cat had shown up once, but hadn't gotten the chance to say a word. The second Ranma had laid eyes on the feline, she had freaked, screaming as though her worst nightmare had come to life. She had cowered behind the sofa while carrying on about the "terrible, horrible, awful" cat. It was all the excuse Usagi had needed to make sure Luna went out and stayed out.

She glanced over at Ranma, walking at her side in her black, boy's school uniform, her brow furrowed in thought. What kind of father tossed his kid into a pit of starving cats? The very idea made her want to find the jerk and throw _him_ into that pit so he could see what it was like. No wonder Ranma had left.

The pair continued on in silence until they reached home, each lost in their own thoughts. That silence was shattered violently when they opened the front door. A streak of white shot past Usagi and collided with Ranma, sending the pigtailed girl crashing to the ground with a startled cry. Usagi's hand was on her brooch, the words of power that would transform her into Sailor Moon on her lips, before she realized it was her brother and not the enemy. 

"Shingo!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

Her little brother wasn't listening though. Dressed in a white gi Ikuko had purchased earlier that week due to his repeated requests, Shingo was perched atop a sprawled out Ranma.

"Can we practice now, Ranma? Huh, huh, can we, can we? I've been working real hard on that kata you showed me. Are you going to teach me something new today? Can you teach me that chestnut thingy?"

The barrage continued with Ranma trying to get a word in edgewise, but the exuberance of the young boy overrode her easily. Finally, Usagi grabbed her brother by the scruff of his neck and pulled him off of the prone redhead. 

"Hey!" he exclaimed. "Lemme go!"

"That is no way to treat a guest, Shingo!" The young boy suddenly looked abashed. "Apologize to Ranma now!"

"No, it's okay," said Ranma, standing up and dusting herself off. There was a strange smile on her face. "It's good that he's showing enthusiasm." 

After they had returned from clothes shopping on Monday, Ranma had gone into the backyard and begun doing kata. One by one the Tsukino family had come to stand at the window and watch her, marveling at her grace and poise. When she had begun leaping thirty feet into the air and performing several series of mid-air kicks and punches, several jaws had collided with the floor.

The next day, Shingo had gone outside with Ranma; shyly requesting to learn the kata the redhead was doing at the time. Ranma had stared at the young boy for several minutes without saying anything before finally nodding her head and agreeing to teach what she could. The day after that, she had dragged Usagi out to learn a bit of self-defense, something the blonde had mixed feelings about.

On the one hand, it could help her out in future battles with whoever she was forced to fight. But it meant working hard, and sweating, and exercise; things Usagi disliked a great deal. She was already quite good at dodging; running around while trying to avoid being broiled, burned, or flattened was one of her best combat skills after all. Why did she need self-defense training? But Ranma had insisted, and her parents thought it was a good idea, so she went along with it.

"You're not really going to make me practice on a Friday, are you?" whined Usagi.

Ranma's face was split by a wide grin. "Of course we're gonna practice today. And we'll practice over the weekend too. Martial artists practice everyday."

"That's right, everyday!" repeated Shingo happily.

"At least let me get something to eat first. I'm starving!"

"Don't 'cha remember what happened last time you ate before practice?"

Usagi's face twisted up at the unpleasant memory. Turning her back on what she thought was way too much cheerfulness over something like exercise, the blonde stomped into the house. She was headed up to her room to change into her workout clothes—grumbling about the unfairness of it all the entire way—when she caught sight of the front page of that day's paper. In bold, black ink was the headline: SENSHI FIGHT OFF ANOTHER VICIOUS ATTACK!! 

She paused and took a moment to look the article over. There was nothing new. An attack like this one had occurred pretty much everyday that week. Some type of monster popped up in the middle of a crowded area, started draining the energy of anyone unlucky enough to be nearby, and then the Senshi showed up and destroyed it. 

From the sound of things, none of the attacking creatures had been very powerful. Certainly they held nothing on the Death Busters. Still, something about the entire situation nagged at the back of her mind, and it wasn't just the empty feeling she got knowing the others were out there fighting without her, that she had been completely ostracized. No, it was something else. Like a feeling that something very big and very bad was about to happen. 

Shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably, she set the paper back down. "Just paranoia," she told herself. Somehow, she wasn't convinced.

******

She floated in a place with no sound, no light, no anything. It was a void, one that existed deep within her consciousness. How long she had been there she had no idea; only that it had been for as long as she could remember and there was no sign that she would be leaving anytime soon. Curled up into a little ball, drifting through the emptiness, she waited…

Waited for what? 

There was no answer to that question. She could not remember what it was she was waiting for. Her mind was fogged; trying to sort through her thoughts was like swimming through molasses. But there was something… She knew it was there just out of sight, just beyond her reach. If only she could get to it…

It was cold in the void. She shivered and drew her limbs in closer to her body.

A face, she could remember a face. A young man with eyes like thunderclouds and a cocky grin on his lips. She had loved that grin. Was this, then, what she waited for? The image of the young man wavered and vanished, drifting away from her like smoke on the wind. Feelings of loss clamped over her chest like an iron vise, and a small whimper escaped her lips. 

Voices came to her then, drifting across the vast expanse of nothing to tickle her ears with distant reminders that this place where she now resided was not all that existed, that there was a world of light and sound out there somewhere.

"Are they ready?"

"Soon now, yes."

"And you're sure this will work? They won't break through the blocks you've placed on their memories?"

"Nothing is for sure, but I am confident that they will remember nothing that will endanger our mission."

The voices faded away, leaving her alone once again. She wondered whom it was the voices had been talking about. She felt sorry for those people. It was sad to have no memories. This was something she knew all too well.

It was cold in the void and she was very tired. Curling herself into a tight ball, she closed her eyes and dreamed of thunder and storm clouds and a shadow that fought with the ferocity of a dragon.

******

"Oh man, it's great to be a guy again!" Ranma beat one fist against his smaller, male chest and basked in the red-gold light of the setting sun. He had spent an entire week as a girl and had been beginning to believe that he would never be able to change back to a guy again.

Sitting on a short wall nearby, Usagi smiled as she watched Ranma perform a series of back flips, much to the surprise and delight of several nearby children and a few adults as well. Having gotten used to seeing Ranma as a girl though, it was a bit strange to see him as, well, a him. She had only seen him change once, in the bathroom when they had first met, and it was no less fascinating to see it a second time. 

He looked a great deal like his female self, but there were obvious differences. No chest, broader shoulders, black hair, and his eyes became less blue and more gray. Eyeing him critically, Usagi felt that it would be difficult for someone who did not know of his change to match the male Ranma up with the female one. She was having a bit of difficulty equating this tall, muscular young man with the girl she had befriended a week ago.

"What's it like?" Usagi found herself asking.

Ranma looked over at her. "Huh?"

"Changing from a girl to a guy, what's it like?"

A thoughtful look passed across Ranma's face as he considered the question. "Ya know what it feels like when your foot goes to sleep?" Usagi nodded. "It kinda feels like that, only different."

Usagi blinked. "That makes no sense."

"Heh, the entire thing doesn't make much sense. My entire body tingles and it feels like I'm being…molded. Like clay or somethin'. I don't know, it's hard ta explain." A mischievous grin crossed his lips. "We could go to China and you could find out what it's like first hand." He began to advance on her slowly and menacingly. "Let's see… How 'bout Spring of Drowned Dog, or maybe cicada? I've got it! I'll toss ya into Spring of Drowned Boy and you'll be just like me, only backwards."

Knowing that Ranma was only playing with her, yet still feeling a bit queasy about the whole idea of changing shape or gender when splashed with water, Usagi held her hands up before her in a warding gesture. "Uh, no, that's okay. I think I'm fine just the way I am."

Ranma stopped his advance with a soft chuckle, but unfortunately for Usagi, warding away the pig-tailed boy with her hands had meant first releasing the grip she had held on the wall. Most people can sit just fine on a wall six inches wide, but Usagi wasn't most people. With a startled squeal, the blonde lost her balance and toppled over backwards, her arms waving wildly in the air in an attempt to catch herself on anything that might happen to be there, such as a low flying bird. Luckily, her hands did manage to catch something and save her from a nasty bump on the head. Or rather, something caught them_._

"You okay?" asked Ranma.

Usagi opened one eye a bit—her eyes had been shut because, as everyone knows, closing your eyes makes something hurt less—and looked up into the concerned face of the young man who had prevented her fall. For a moment, she saw only a man, forgetting completely that this was the same person who had lived at her house all week as a girl. The strong hands that gripped her wrists lowered her gently to the ground before letting go and she came back to herself.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks." She smiled up at Ranma and he returned a cocky grin.

For a long moment, Usagi just stared up at Ranma, gazing into eyes that seemed to hold a raging storm trapped deep within their depths. There was strength there, hard and sure, but there was also something else hidden behind the gray clouds. Uncertainty and a strange sort of vulnerability lurked in the background, masked by the strength and fury of the storm clouds roiling in the forefront. She lost herself in that storm for a moment, finding that there was one other thing hidden amongst the driving rain and fierce winds. There was compassion.

Usagi suddenly noticed that the cocky grin had vanished to be replaced by a small frown. She realized with a start that something had been asked of her, something she had only half heard. Frantically she tried to recall what the question had been, but she came up blank.

"Um…yes," she answered sheepishly, hoping to cover her brief lapse. She surely didn't want to have to explain that she hadn't heard the question because she had been staring into his eyes.

Ranma simply nodded and gently took hold of both her shoulders. In one smooth motion he picked her up as effortlessly as he might a child and set her back down again on the other side of the short wall. A quick hop took the martial artist over.

"We'd better get going," said Usagi as she dusted herself off and pointedly avoided looking into Ranma's eyes again in order to keep from being swept up by those fierce storm winds once more. Ranma nodded again and they set off down the street.

They were headed towards a fair being held in a nearby park. Since it was only Ranma and Usagi, Ranma had decided to spend the evening as a guy. Dressed in his favorite red and black Chinese garb, and with his katana balanced easily on one shoulder, he strutted down the street with a wide grin on his face looking as though he were Emperor of the World. The only other time Usagi ever saw him grin like that was when he was teaching Shingo. Well, when the female Ranma was teaching him, but that grin was the same on both of them. Cocky, arrogant, and quite pleasant to look at when you weren't on the receiving end.

The park was decorated with paper lanterns strung from the trees and glowing softly in the descending twilight. Sounds of laughter and shouts of joy and good-natured displeasure rose into the air and mingled with the chirping of cicada. Delicious smells wafted through the air on a cool evening breeze and Usagi found her mouth watering uncontrollably. 

"What do ya wanna do first?" asked Ranma, peering off towards a booth where children were trying to catch goldfish. There was a wistful look in his eyes.

Usagi noted the odd look and asked, "Is something wrong, Ranma?"

"Huh?" He looked down at her and his eyes seemed to suddenly snap back to the present. "No, it's just…" he glanced back over his shoulder. "Nothin'," he said, turning back to her. "It's nothin'." A wide grin split his face. "Hungry?"

Usagi clapped her hands together. "Yes! I want some ice-cream, and some yakitori, and… How did you know I was hungry?"

"There's drool on your chin."

"Wha!" Usagi hastily wiped at her chin, but her hand came away dry. "There is not!" she snapped, but Ranma was already striding away. "That was mean," she whined when she had caught up with him. Ranma just chuckled.

They found several booths where Usagi was able to find plenty of food to fill her depthless stomach. Ranma did his fair share of pigging out as well, much to the pleasure of the food vendors. The pair was just polishing off a couple ice cream cones (apiece) when a wizened hand settled on Ranma's shoulder. Turning around, the martial artist found the old man he had met in the ice cream parlor at the beginning of the week standing there.

"Good evening, young man," greeted the old man.

"Hey, old man. What's up?"

Usagi hit him in the shoulder. "That's no way to greet someone, Ranma!" She turned to the old man and bowed. "I'm sorry, he's a bit crude at times."

The old man chuckled. "No harm done. I am indeed an old man. I saw you here and just thought I'd say hello. I see you still have your sword with you." He looked Usagi up and down. "And a beautiful lady on your arm as well. All a man could wish for, eh?"

Both Usagi and Ranma blushed. "We're not—" they both said at the same time. "We're just—" they continued in unison.

Guffawing loudly, the old man patted Ranma on the shoulder. "Whatever you say," he said with a sly wink. His mirth died as suddenly as it had arisen though. Staring up into the sky, he said, "It's going to be a hot night. Watch yourself." Then he turned and walked away leaving Ranma and Usagi to exchange puzzled and embarrassed looks.

Something suddenly occurred to Ranma, and his head whipped back to face the old man. "Hey, old…" he began, but trailed off when he noted the old man had disappeared. "Where'd he go?!" he demanded, looking around frantically.

"He's probably lost in the crowd. What's wrong?"

Ranma stared at the river of people passing them by, puzzlement painting his features. "I met that guy once before, but I was a girl then. How did he recognize me as a guy?"

Usagi shrugged. "Well, there aren't very many people wandering around with a sword, and he's old so maybe he doesn't remember that you were a girl the first time he met you. He could have really bad eyesight too."

"I guess…" It was obvious Ranma wasn't convinced.

"Besides, what does it matter if he knows you're both the same person?" continued Usagi. "It's not like he's much of a threat."

"You've obviously never had to deal with lecherous old men trying to get you to pose for dirty pictures."

"Huh?"  
Ranma shook his head. "Never mind." Looking over the crowd one more time, he said, "I suppose you're right. He doesn't seem very dangerous." Despite his words, the corners of Ranma's mouth were turned down in a small frown.

He had been so happy earlier, and Usagi didn't like seeing his good mood dashed by a chance encounter with some strange old man. It was up to her, she decided, to cheer him back up. Grabbing Ranma by the arm, she began to tug him towards a booth where stuffed animals could be won by knocking down a stack of jars with a softball.

"Huh? Where we goin'?"

"You're going to win me a stuffed animal."

"I am?"

"Yes, you are."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Shrugging, Ranma allowed himself to be dragged over to the booth. By the time they left, Usagi's arms were full of cute, furry, stuffed animals and the booth's owner was exceptionally happy to see them leave before they wiped out his entire stock. 

"Hey!" exclaimed Ranma suddenly, nearly causing Usagi to dump her armload on the ground. "There's that old man!"

Before Usagi could say a word, Ranma was gone, disappearing from her side so suddenly she didn't even see where he went. She looked around for him, but the crowd made it impossible for her to spot the martial artist, especially since she was forced to peer awkwardly over her pile of stuffed animals while standing on tiptoe. Making several angry comments on the subject of men, she started in the direction she thought he might have gone. Her search ended quite abruptly when she walked directly into something tall and firm. Stuffed animals made mad dashes for freedom as Usagi stumbled backwards, barely managing to keep her feet. 

"I'm sorry," apologized the tall, firm thing she had run into. "Let me help you…" the voice trailed off. "Usagi?"

Usagi looked up at the man standing before her and a whole slew of emotions raced through her head at once. First there was anger, then embarrassment, and then sharp feelings of loss that stabbed at her heart mercilessly. Then her emotions stopped being separate, identifiable things and merged into one, thick mass that left her feeling nauseous. She wished she were somewhere else, anywhere else. She wished Ranma was here.

"Mamoru," said Usagi neutrally.

"What are you doing here?"

Anger surged up out of the mass. "What?! Just because you dumped me I can't go out?! I have to sit at home hoping you'll take me back?!"

Mamoru held up his hand defensively. "Usagi, that's not what I—"

"I don't care what you meant," interrupted Usagi. "I don't even know why I'm talking to you!" Bending down, she began to gather up the stuffed toys she had dropped. She hoped Mamoru didn't see the tears shining in her eyes. She wanted to forget about him, forget about the pain he had caused her and the love she had felt for him. That love was still there, she knew, hiding within her heart where it continued to defy the horrible fate destiny had wrought for her.

Mamoru bent down and began helping her. "We need to talk."

"We have nothing to talk about!" snapped Usagi, snatching a pink rabbit out of Mamoru's hands. "You've made your feelings clear!"

"Usagi…"

"Are you coming, Mamoru? What are you doing over here?" Rei appeared behind Mamoru. "Everyone's waiting for…" Her eyes fell on Usagi and she trailed off, a peculiar mix of anger, surprise, and, for some reason Usagi couldn't fathom, pain lighting her features. "Oh," was all she said, her face becoming stone.

Usagi stood up, leaving half of her prizes lying on the ground while clutching the rest against her chest protectively. She took some small comfort in the softness of their fur against her bare arms.

"I have to go," she said, taking a step back.

"Usagi, wait," pleaded Mamoru, hesitantly reaching towards her. "Let's talk, please. We can work this out." By now a crowd was beginning to gather, forming a curious ring around the three of them.

"Work what out?! The fact that you only loved me because it was your _duty_ to love the Princess?!" Mamoru flinched. "The fact that all my friends have betrayed me?! How do you _work out_ things like that?!" Muttering broke out amongst the crowd.

Mamoru's hand fell to his side and a defeated look crossed his features. "I…I don't know." Determination suddenly blazed to life in his eyes. "But this isn't what you think it is and I know we can find a solution. We haven't betrayed you, Usagi. We…" He trailed off, his gaze rising above Usagi's head. 

Usagi suddenly felt a strong presence at her back, one that brought reassurance and promised aid. She felt muscles relax that she hadn't know she had tensed. A calm breeze slipped through her mind, brushing confusion away and leaving her feeling like she was in control of herself once again. There was the audible click of a sword being loosened in its sheath; a warning.

"Everything okay, Usagi?" asked Ranma, his voice carrying an odd note of anticipation.

"I'm fine now," she replied, never taking her eyes off of Mamoru. She saw something she thought might be jealousy cross his features. "I was just about to go look for you. I'm ready to go home."

Mamoru's eyes snapped back to Usagi. Rei continued to gaze up at Ranma while biting her lower lip. There was a distant look in her eyes as though she was trying to remember where she had seen him before. 

"Don't go yet, Usagi," insisted Mamoru. "We still need to talk."

"We just did." Usagi turned around to face Ranma, moving so that she stood next to him. "Let's go."

"Usagi…" Mamoru took a step towards her, hand extended to grab her shoulder. Ranma's hand in the middle of his chest stopped him from taking another step.

"I don't really think she want's ta talk to you."

Mamoru glared up at Ranma angrily. "This isn't your concern."

Ranma grinned. "Ya know, a lot of people seem ta be telling me that lately. Too bad I ain't too good at paying attention to overbearing idiots."

Anger grew into rage and Mamoru opened his mouth to say something Usagi knew he would regret in the morning when he woke up bruised and battered. Despite the fact that she was angry with him and never wanted to see him again, she didn't want to see Mamoru hurt, and that was definitely what he would be if he picked a fight with Ranma. Fortunately, whatever Mamoru was going to say was forever lost because at that moment several screams erupted from the far end of the fair. Everyone turned towards the cries in time to see a food stand learn to fly for a few, brief seconds.

"What the…?" muttered Ranma.

"There's a large power over there," said Rei, half to herself. "Very large."

Staring at Usagi, Mamoru seemed torn between pleading with her some more and rushing off to fight whatever horror might be terrorizing the innocent people at the fair. Usagi took the decision from him.

"Guess that's your cue to rush off and save the world," she stated bitterly. Turning on her heel, she turned and began walking away. Ranma followed and quickly caught up with her. Neither of them bothered to look back.

Mamoru watched them walk off, quickly losing sight of them in the crowd of panicked people rushing for the exit. "Dammit!" he spat before rushing off to find a secluded place to transform.

Rei followed, casting one last look over her shoulder. "I know that guy from somewhere," she muttered half to herself. "His aura, it's…familiar somehow."

Mamoru heard her and asked, "Where from? Who is he?" His tone was insistent. As much as he hated to admit it, he was jealous that Usagi had apparently found another to take his place.

Rei shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's just…he looks so familiar. With that sword and the pigtail, he reminds me of that girl, Ranma, whose always tagging along with Usagi." For an instant her eyes narrowed, then she shook her head again. "Nah, couldn't be." But they looked so much alike that it was hard for her to completely shake the feeling that they were related in some way.

The pair ducked behind an abandoned booth and moments later Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars were speeding towards the unknown disturbance, both leaving their doubts and concerns behind with their alter egos. Ahead of them an explosion scorched the night sky. There were no innocents nearby; this area having cleared out quickly since it was so close to the attack. However, they could hear the panicked screams and shouts of the fleeing crowds grow more fearful at the sight of the flames rising up into the night. 

They arrived on the scene just in time to see Sailor Jupiter crash headfirst into a nearby booth, reducing it to kindling. The fire had been caused when a booth containing a gas grill and several propane tanks had been used in a similar fashion by Sailor Venus. When she had crashed into the booth, she had torn the lines running from the tanks to the grill, causing the propane to ignite when it came in contact with the heat of the cooking surface. Venus was lying on the ground looking badly burned, but her magic had protected her from the full force of the explosion and she was relatively okay. Mercury was kneeling at her side doing what she could for her wounds.

The source of all this was standing directly in front of Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Mars. It was a girl dressed in what looked like a black leather bikini except her right arm and left leg were both wrapped in strips of leather that left none of the skin beneath visible. Her left arm was bare, as was her right leg except for a calf high boot that matched the one worn on her left. She had short, blue-black hair and her blue eyes seemed to hold all the heat and intensity of the fire blazing at her back. 

This person was far different than the creatures they had been fighting recently. All their other battles of late had been against strange, twisted creatures that were obviously alien. They had been relatively weak too, and judging by the look of Venus and the slowly rising Jupiter, this girl was far stronger than they had been. This was not going to be easy.

"Who are you?" demanded Sailor Mars in a firm voice. There was no reason to be worried. Yet.

No expression crossed the girl's face as she turned her gaze on the Senshi. Despite the flames that seemed to dance within her eyes, the stare she gave Mars was icy cold, hard and devoid of anything that might have been considered an emotion. Sailor Mars felt a chill run up her spine.

"I am Alecto, and I have come to destroy you."


	8. Furies

Title: Warrior's of Light and Shadow; Chapter 8: Furies

Title: Warrior's of Light and Shadow; Chapter 8: Furies

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: EDIT: Made a minor change after I posted this the first time. Just a name change/correction, no need to go re-read the chapter or anything. Thanks to Bambi Star and Comet Moon for helping me with this chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story

******

Finishing off the last of her dinner, Nabiki leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and taking a moment for herself. She was tired. Five hours of sleep a night just wasn't cutting it, but she didn't have a lot of choice in the matter. Ranma was out there somewhere and she had to find him. Between her search and keeping up with her schoolwork, there was little time for luxuries such as sleep. If she didn't find Ranma though, then who knew what might befall her kidnapped sister. Who knew what might have happened already?

Several unpleasant possibilities flashed through Nabiki's mind, and she forcefully shut them out. Thinking the worst never got anyone anywhere. She forced herself to concentrate on her search for Ranma and not the reason for that search.

Changing the subject of her thoughts was not overly relieving, however. The search for Ranma had not been going well. She had managed to track him to the Juuban district, but there the trail had gone cold. He was a trouble magnet, and she had thought it would be fairly easy to track him by following the chaos and destruction he would undoubtedly leave in his wake. Unfortunately, the only trouble of late in this area was coming in the form of battles between various monsters and the Sailor Senshi.

Nabiki had heard of the Pretty Suited Soldiers before and felt that they would have fit in nicely in Nerima considering the amount of chaos that seemed to surround them. It was thanks to them that she had been able to track Ranma this far. Someone had seen a pig-tailed girl with a sword challenge one of the Senshi, apparently driving her off. The story had, of course, spread rapidly and Nabiki had quickly picked up on the reference to the sword girl. Some versions of the tale had placed another girl at the scene, but Nabiki had been unable to obtain anything other than vague descriptions of her: blonde with a funny hairstyle. 

That information had come at the beginning of the week though, and there had been no new leads since. This meant that Ranma was either keeping out of trouble, or was nowhere near where she thought he was. Nabiki preferred to think the former. If that was the case, however, then it meant that Ranma had finally succeeded at removing himself from all the troubles that had constantly plagued him. She wondered what his reaction would be when she finally found him and whether or not he would risk the peace that he had found by trying to rescue his former fiancee.

Nabiki allowed her mind to wander away from that line of reasoning, finding some bit of solace in her memories of distant times. Life had been so much easier when she had been a child, romping through the neighborhood with Akane and, on rare occasions, Kasumi as well. Back then, her only worries had centered on how to trick one of her sisters into doing the dishes for her, and then trying to find a way to keep their mother from finding out what she had done. She thought of her mother as well, of the times spent cradled in her lap or snug in bed while she told a story. She dearly missed her mother and wished she were here now to offer her sneaky, conniving, independent daughter the warm, loving comfort she had so freely given when alive.

A warm hand settled on her shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze, and for a moment Nabiki thought that her mother had answered her wishes. Then the cold, rational portion of her mind dashed that nice thought with the logic that such a thing was impossible. She came fully awake then; her eyes snapping open as her mind rocketed back to the present. Looking up from where she sat, Nabiki saw the elderly woman who ran this small restaurant standing at her side.

"Thought you might want to sleep in a bed tonight." There was an amused light in the old woman's eyes.

Nabiki nodded and rubbed at her sleep deprived eyes. "Yeah, thanks. How much for dinner?"

The woman gave a price that was a bit higher than Nabiki thought it should be, but she didn't feel like haggling right then so she paid it. There was a television set up in one corner of the small restaurant; the volume turned way down at Nabiki's request since she was the only patron. There was some foolish game show on, but as she turned to leave, the show was interrupted by what was claimed to be an important news bulletin. Nabiki paused and signaled for the volume to be turned back up.

The announcer was blathering on about some sort of monster attack in a small park, treating it like something new, as though something just like this hadn't happened everyday that week. The Senshi were on the scene, there were lots of fireworks, and they would either win or lose. It didn't really matter to Nabiki right then. She left the restaurant. 

Most of her sources here in Juuban—where she was spending her weekend—had already been tapped, but she had a few left. She hadn't tried many of them yet because they were in places she didn't think Ranma would be found. Her options were quickly drying up, though.

Pulling her little black book from her purse, Nabiki began to thumb through the pages, searching for any promising contacts. She came to a stop at one name that she rarely used: Umino Gurio. He was a rumormonger and a bright kid, but not overly cunning. He attended a local high school and knew everything that went on there, but that was the reason she hadn't contacted him yet. Ranma would not willingly subject himself to the rigors of school. Still, there was a chance.

******

Sailor Mars was quickly learning why people didn't eat dirt on a regular basis. For one thing, it tasted really, really bad. It also left your mouth feeling gritty and dry. Very unpleasant stuff, especially when it was hard packed and some crazy girl in black leather was pounding your face into it constantly and repeatedly.

Suddenly Mars felt the iron grip on the back of her head vanish and she was allowed to take her first dirt free breath in what felt like hours. Spitting out dirt and blood, and cursing in-between bouts of painful coughing, she slowly pushed herself to her knees. Her entire face felt as though it would be a wonderful shade of purple in the morning and it was a wonder she still had anything left of her nose. Feeling around the more tender areas, her hand came away wet with blood.

"Sometimes I hate this job," she muttered, rising to her feet painfully.

The source of her face-pounding reprieve was Sailor Jupiter, who had taken Alecto off her back with a solid kick and was now engaged in a fine display of martial arts prowess. It was a fight that Jupiter lost magnificently, ending up in much the same position Mars had just been freed of. A golden chain wrapped itself around Alecto before Jupiter's head could be bounced more than a few times though, pinning Alecto's arms to her sides. Sailor Venus stood a little ways off looking badly burned and in a great deal of pain, but there was a determined look on her face, a sharp contrast to the somewhat vapid look she usually wore. She gave a hard yank on her heart chain and the leather-clad girl was hurled into the side of a small tree. The tree looked hurt, Alecto didn't.

"Well," began Jupiter as she picked herself up off of the ground, "now I know how a basketball feels." Her fiery emerald gaze turned to where Alecto was standing up as well, seeming completely unfazed by her forced meeting with the tree. "Who the hell is this girl?" Anger at being so easily manhandled could be heard clearly in her voice.

"Trouble," stated Mars heatedly. "Soon to be flambé. MARS BURNING MANDALA!!"

The rings of fire missed their mark as Alecto dodged to the right, but that put her directly into Sailor Mercury's line of fire. Waves of blue energy rolled over Alecto, leaving her frozen in a solid mass of ice. The look on her face was one of surprise and anger.

"Time to finish it!" bellowed Mars as she drew back her hand. "MARS BURNING—"

"Watch out!" 

A strong arm wrapped itself around Mars' waist and she suddenly found herself being carried into the air, her attack completely forgotten. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something that reflected the light of the spreading fire whistle through the air where her head had been a second ago. Her landing was hard, but the arm holding her let go, allowing her to role with the impact and spare her knees. Spinning around, she saw that it was Tuxedo Mask who had pulled her from deaths maw. Looking past him, she saw exactly what form her death would have taken had he been a second slower.

It was another girl; this one decked out in cumbersome looking black armor emblazoned with a golden dragon on the front of the breastplate. Long brown hair spilled over large, spiked epaulets and a pair of hard brown eyes regarded Mars coolly as the girl's mouth twisted in a disappointed frown. In an effortless motion, she drew her sword from where it was imbedded in the ground, and for a moment all eyes were on that blade. It was a massive affair, longer than the girl was tall and almost as wide. The razor sharp edges gleamed menacingly in the flickering light of the fire. She held it casually in one hand, no sign of strain marring her features.

"Megarea," she stated simply in an emotionless voice.

"Great," muttered Jupiter, "reinforcements."

A loud cracking noise reached everyone's ears and they all turned to stare at the block of ice serving as Alecto's prison. Large cracks traced their way across its surface, growing larger as the Senshi watched in dismay. Suddenly it exploded, sending shards of ice in all directions. Alecto cracked her knuckles, scowling at the Senshi.

"Not good enough."

******

Nodoka stared up into the night sky with sorrow filled eyes, watching as the stars made their slow trek across the heavens. She wondered if Ranma was gazing up at that same sky, counting the infinite points of light as he dreamed the dreams of a young man in the prime of life. She had tried to control those dreams, make them her own. Such foolishness, but only now could she see it as such.

Nodoka sighed softly. It hurt her deeply that her son had fled from her, but what hurt even more was the fact that others were also suffering because of her stupidity. Akane, Ukyou, and Shampoo were all missing, the latter two having been presumably kidnapped the same way as Akane although there were no witnesses to say as much. There was little doubt in peoples minds that if Ranma had been here the kidnappings never would have happened, or if they had, he would have saved the girls by now. Such was the faith in the young man's skill as a martial artist.

But Ranma was not here and the girls were not here and it was all her fault. Guilt filled her soul as tears threatened to fill her eyes.

The Saotome patriarch stood up, her eyes still locked on the heavens. She prayed then, prayed to whatever god might listen to a foolish old woman. If only her son and the girls were returned safely, then she would do anything, anything at all. _Just please let them all be okay, let them all return home soon._

Suddenly there was large crash from the other side of the koi pond, the unexpected sound jarring her from her thoughts. Nodoka's head snapped in that direction, her eyes searching the gloom for what had made such a racket. It was too dark for her to make out details, but she could see that someone had made a large hole in the wall surrounding the dojo. She could faintly make out a figure moving amongst the rubble.

Had the gods answered her prayers then? Was this a divine messenger come to reassure her that her son and the girls were well?

"Excuse me," called out a forlorn voice. "Can you tell me how to get to the Tendou Dojo?"

******

Hiroki Sakeuchi darted from booth to booth as he made his way cautiously towards where the fight with the Senshi was taking place. Adjusting his glasses, he peered around a slab of plywood to get his bearings. The flames of a large fire licked at the night sky about fifty yards away, filling the air with smoke and making it difficult to see anything of the fight that was taking place there. Sounds of battle carried to his ears on a hot breeze caused his heart to thump rapidly and loudly in his chest.

He couldn't believe he was doing this! It was so stupid! Slinking into the middle of a fight between the Senshi and some horrible monster. He could get killed! But still, if he lived... If he lived he'd be famous!

Checking the camera he clutched in two shaking hands for film for what had to be the twelfth time in the last two minutes, he made a dash for the next hiding place in his path. He ducked low as he ran just in case something big and nasty happened to look his way. He couldn't see them yet, but that didn't mean they couldn't see him, and getting eaten would definitely put a damper on his plans for being a famous photographer.

Ducking behind a large tree, he took a moment to catch his breath and prepare for the most difficult portion of his plan. The area immediately surrounding the battle was littered with the remains of several booths, and there was no decent cover to be had, but Hiroki had to get as close as possible to get the pictures he wanted. He intended to crawl forward on his belly using the piles of broken wood and crushed metal that had once been carefully prepared stands to shield him from the view of the monsters fighting the Senshi. Then he would be able to get pictures like no one before him. 

He had almost worked up the courage to start out, when something hurtled out of the sky to crash into a booth that was still standing not five feet from where he was hiding. Hiroki almost bolted right then and there, but the allure of fame kept him from doing more than letting out a startled yelp. Easing forward, he raised his camera, preparing to run if whatever had crashed into the booth decided he looked like a tasty treat. There was no need to fear though. It was one of the Senshi who laid amongst the broken remnants of the booth.

Hiroki thought it was the one called Sailor Mercury, but he wasn't entirely sure. She was dressed in various shades of blue that he felt went well with the large purple bruise forming on her cheek. She was rising slowly, clutching at her head and groaning in pain.

"I guess she didn't really enjoy being frozen in a block of ice," she mumbled to herself.

Hiroki's camera clicked and the flash went off. Suddenly Sailor Mercury was moving faster than he thought was possible for a human to move. Of course, when he really thought about it, he supposed no one had every actually said the Senshi were human. She rolled away from him and leaped to her feet several yards away. Both her hands came up before her and the photographer realized she was about to blast him.

"Wait!" he practically screamed, turning so that his body protected his precious camera.

"What are you doing here?!" demanded Sailor Mercury in a voice that was not unkind, but still held a sense of unyielding ice. "It's not safe to be around here. You should leave at once."

Then she was gone, dashing back towards the fire and the battle. He watched her go, managing to snap off a couple more pictures before she was lost to sight amongst the smoke and flames. Licking his lips, he reassessed his wonderful idea, his eyes resting on the remnants of the shattered booth. If a Senshi could be tossed around like that, what would happen to him if some fearsome monster caught him? 

Fame and the dislike of intense physical pain seesawed in his mind for a few moments, then he took a hesitant step towards the battle. A few weeks in the hospital would be a not too high price to pay for the pictures he would be able to get.

"You should listen to what she said."

Hiroki froze. Turning around slowly, his eyes came to rest on two more Senshi, one with short-cropped blonde hair and the other with hair that was the color of the sea. Both were regarding him coolly from where they stood a few feet away. The eyes of the blonde seemed to drive into his chest, spearing his heart and causing him to freeze like a deer caught in the headlights of a truck. Her companion had more compassion in her sea green eyes, but there was also a hardness that made him very glad that these were allies.

Neptune looked towards the battle while Uranus said, "Leave here." It was an order, not a request. "They aren't doing well and you could get in the way and make it worse if you stay."

Neptune touched Uranus' arm and the blonde nodded. Seconds later, Hiroki was alone again. It was only then that he realized he hadn't taken any pictures. Muttering under his breath, he turned back to the fight. He wasn't going to let this opportunity pass him up no matter what those Senshi said. He managed two more steps before something else brought him up short. 

Hiroki sensed the presence that appeared behind him, but he never got the chance to turn and see who or what it was. A firm hand clamped down on the back of his neck and a strange feeling of weakness washed through his body. His head slumped forward onto his chest as his eyes tried to close. His legs suddenly became like jelly and he would have fallen if it wasn't for the hand holding up. Whoever it was must have had incredible strength, he found himself thinking groggily. Finally, unable to hold on any longer, his hands released his precious camera, letting it clatter to the ground. He found himself falling after it. Staring up from where he lay, his eyes drifting shut as he plummeted into an unnatural sleep, Hiroki saw only a shadow. A tall, purple shadow.

"Should have listened to them," stated the shadow in an accented voice that followed him down into the dark abyss of unconsciousness.

******

Ranma stared down into the sluggish waters of the canal, watching the lights from the city around him as they skipped and played across its dark surface. It was almost as if the waters below him contained a galaxy of twirling, dancing stars within their depths. Looking up, he saw only darkness, the bright lights of surrounding Tokyo blinding him to the stars above.

A weight settled against his shoulder and he stiffened slightly. Looking over, Ranma saw the top of Usagi's blonde head resting on his arm, her 'meatballs' bobbing slightly. In her arms she still clutched the load of stuffed animals he had won for her. Her blue eyes stared not at the water nor the heavens nor the city, but gazed beyond everything, searching the night for something unseen.

A streetlight a little ways down from where the couple stood on the bridge hissed and flickered, threatening to go out completely. It wavered for a moment; dimming then going out completely before suddenly snapping back to its former brightness with renewed purpose. 

Usagi looked up at Ranma, her eyes watery. Ranma stared down at her, not knowing what to do or say. It was obvious she was hurting. She had been hurting since that rain soaked night he had met her, but the run in at the park had been like a sharp jab to a fresh wound. 

"Ranma…" she began softly. Her mouth opened to say more, but no words came out. Instead, a choking sob was ripped from her throat as tears welled up in her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She buried her face in the young man's chest, one hand clutching at his shirt.

Once again Ranma was at a complete loss as to what to do. For a few moments he just stood there stunned as Usagi's tears dampened his shirt. Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently, offering what little comfort he could. 

A slew of emotions swirled through Ranma's head, bringing with them more confusion. He wondered suddenly if friendship was all he felt for the girl in his arms. The thought that there might be more to his feelings scared him more than a little. Always he had run from such feelings, not daring to accept them, seeing them as more of a weakness than anything else. Akane's face spun through his mind and he flinched slightly. 

Usagi felt that flinch and wondered if she had done something wrong. Was she making Ranma uncomfortable? Did he suddenly think less of her now that she had broken down in front of him like this? She started to pull away, but the arms encircling her pulled her in tighter and she felt the warmth of his body wash over her, chasing away her fears and easing her pain. She now knew she had a place to cry.

How long they stood there neither was quite sure. The moon was just easing into the sky when Usagi finally broke the embrace, stepping back and scrubbing at her eyes. For a long time they just stared at one another, each lost in thoughts and emotions that neither had ever bothered to give consideration. Finally Usagi looked away, her cheeks heating up.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Yeah, sure," said Ranma a bit nervously, scratching the back of his head. "No problem."

Silence fell over them once again, broken when Usagi said, "We should be getting home soon, before my parents start to worry." She turned to go, but her grip on the armload of stuffed animals had been loosened when she had been crying in Ranma's arms, and now a few of them slipped from her grasp and tumbled to the ground. Most of them just landed at her feet, but one, a pink rabbit, rolled under the rail, teetered on the edge of the bridge, and then fell into the canal waters below.

"I'll get it for you," offered Ranma as he jumped up on the rail, balancing easily on the small surface.

"No!" she shouted before he could leap off. He turned around and gave her a questioning look. "It's not worth the trouble. Besides, if you get wet you'll be a girl again."  
Ranma shrugged. "Gotta change back before we get back to your house anyways."

"Yeah, but…" Usagi looked up into his gray eyes, remembering how solid his muscled chest had felt when she had leaned against it. She studied the ground, trying to come up with an excuse. "But, wouldn't you like to stay as a guy for a little longer. Until we get closer to home." Our home, she added mentally as her face heated up.

Looking down into the cold, dark waters where the rabbit had fallen, Ranma nodded. Hopping off of the rail, he helped Usagi pick up the other stuffed toys she had dropped. Then the two headed for home, Usagi leaning ever so slightly against Ranma's arm.

******

Sailor Venus ducked to avoid one of Alecto's vicious punches, then spun away to give Sailor Uranus a clear shot at the girl. The older Senshi's punch slammed into the leather clad warrior's face, causing her to stumble backwards into Sailor Mars' waiting arms. She wrapped an arm around the girl's throat while tilting her back slightly to keep her off balance. Alecto gasped and tore at the arm, nearly freeing herself, but Uranus stepped in and delivered a fierce punch to her gut, blasting the air from her lungs and momentarily stealing the fight from her.

Venus took the moments respite to catch her own breath. She hurt all over and knew that only adrenaline and the desperation of the situation were keeping her up and fighting. The burns covering her body weren't overly severe, but there were a lot of them and along with the numerous bruises she had contracted during the fight they were serving as a massive drain on her strength and energy.

A glance over at the armored warrior calling herself Megarea showed that Tuxedo Mask, Mercury, Jupiter, and Neptune seemed to be winning even though they were still having problems contending with the giant sword. If it hadn't been for the timely arrival of Uranus and Neptune, Venus felt that this fight would've been over already, with her and her four companions brutally beaten or even dead. The fight had been going that badly for them. Whoever these two warriors were, they were incredibly strong.

Turning back to her own fight, she saw that they had Alecto almost beaten. Her efforts to fend off Uranus while trying to break Mars' choke hold were growing steadily weaker. Venus took a step towards them, intending to help finish it that much quicker. Something wrapped itself around her own throat though, and suddenly she found it nearly impossible to draw a breath.

A pained gurgle from Venus combined with a sudden widening of Mars' eyes alerted Uranus to the fact that something was wrong. Turning around, she saw her fellow Senshi pulling desperately on a black cord wrapped around her neck while gasping for air. Following the length of cord with her eyes, she found that it was a whip in the hands of a third attacker. A slew of very colorful phrases appropriate to the situation ran through her mind.

The newcomer was dressed in a ninja's outfit made up of various shades of purple and missing the cowl and veil used to cover the face. Long purple hair spilled down her back and a grim light danced her eyes as she tugged on her whip, strangling Venus. The Senshi was on her knees now, her struggles weakening, her eyes drifting shut. 

"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!!" 

The yellow blast ripped across the ground, rising at the last instant to slam into the newcomer. Well, it should have happened that way, but she jumped high into the air and then simply vanished. The whip went with her though, and Venus collapsed to the ground gasping as she filled her burning lungs with desperately needed air. Once she could finally breathe properly again, the Senshi tried to stand up so she could help her friends. She found she just didn't have the strength though, and fell back to the dirt. Tears of pain and frustration trickled down her face.

Uranus saw Venus lying on the ground trying futilely to stand up again, but couldn't do anything to help her companion. She was too busy trying to figure out where her newest opponent had gone. The answer to that question came in the form of a painful blow to her back. Letting out a pained gasp, she spun around to face her attacker and found that no one was there. An elbow hammered into the side of her face and she stumbled sideways, barely keeping her balance. Blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth.

Once again there was no one standing where her opponent should have been. Calling upon instincts honed through years of training and fighting, she predicted her slippery attacker's next move, throwing a kick to her left. She missed, badly, but she had successfully located the girl, who seemed to suddenly appear out of thin air, surprise at being discovered showing in her features. Uranus followed up the kick with a barrage of punches. All of them missed their target, who dodged deftly out of the way without seeming to try.

"You so slow," laughed the girl. "You never be able to hit Tisiphone." A dozen blows thudded into Uranus and the world spun away at an odd angle.

Without the support of her friends, Sailor Mars was having a difficult time containing Alecto. Her strength was incredible and she was slowly prying the Senshi's arm away. Suddenly the girl gave Mar's arm a sharp twist and slipped out of her grasp. A sickening popping, crunching noise came from the area of Mar's shoulder and she bit back a scream as pain lanced through her arm.

With her right arm hanging useless at her side, Mars watched in horror as Alecto held up her own right hand, the one wrapped in black leather. Six-inch claws sprouted from the ends of her fingers, vicious looking things that gleamed evilly in the harsh light of the fire. The warrior came on in a sudden rush, those claws sweeping towards Mars' midsection. The Senshi leaped back, barely avoiding being eviscerated, but the sharp claws still caught her stomach, shredding her uniform and leaving four burning gashes across her skin. Her scream was cut short as Alecto's other hand swept up to close about the Senshi's throat like an iron vise. With a single movement, she lifted Mars into the air and slammed her back into a tree.

Sailor Mars didn't feel the bark of the tree grinding into her back and head, the rest of her body hurt too much for something so insignificant to attract her notice. Her good arm clawed and scrapped at Alecto's face, and tugged futilely at the hand slowly choking the life from her, but she couldn't get free. Black flecks danced before her eyes and the pain of her injuries became distant things. Her arm slowly fell to her side, the strength gone out of it.

_I can't die like this_, she thought to herself. _Not now, I have too many things left to do in my life_. Somehow a grin forced its way onto her lips. _I still have to get back at that Ranma girl for humiliating me at school._ It was a stupid reason to continue living, but she held on to it like a drowning man caught in the middle of a hurricane might clutch at a small bit of wood. She didn't realize she had spoken her thoughts out loud.

The words had slipped from her lips in a bare whisper, barely recognizable as words at all. But one word, a name, had been heard and understood by Alecto. Mars was rapidly slipping towards unconsciousness and death so she didn't see the expression that flitted across the girl's features. All of a sudden the vise released and the Senshi could breath again. Collapsing to the ground, her back resting against the tree, she sucked in great lungfulls of air, not caring to wonder how or why she was still alive.

Sailor Uranus found that flying without the aid of an airplane wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. This was because landing under such conditions was quite difficult and rather painful. Sailor Neptune, who served as Uranus' landing-pad, agreed wholeheartedly.

Mercury watched as Uranus crashed into Neptune, driving them both to the ground in a tangled heap, their limbs flailing. The momentarily distraction gave Megarea the opening she had been searching for, and the flat of her massive blade slammed into the side of Mercury's head. The Senshi staggered backwards, looked up at the armor-wearing girl in confusion, then crumpled, unconsciousness stealing her senses before she hit the ground.

Megarea swung her sword back towards Jupiter, one of the only two attackers left standing. The thunder Senshi was paying more attention than her fallen companion though, and managed to duck under the sweep of the weapon. She saw a brief opening in her opponent's defenses and drove for it with all her strength. Tisiphone's whip entangled itself in her legs though, and she crashed to the ground at Megarea's feet.

The large blade rose, its tip aimed directly at the fallen Jupiter. Tuxedo Mask dove for Megarea, but was stopped by a sharp kick from Tisiphone that took him under the jaw, momentarily stunning him. The blade began to fall.

A scream tore into the night sky as a massive burst of energy exploded from Alecto in the form of a huge wave of white light. It rolled over the battlefield, smothering the flames of the fire and slamming into the combatants. Even the strength of Megarea and Tisiphone couldn't stand up to the power of that blast and it lifted them from their feet and sent them spinning into the air like leaves caught in a tornado.

Pain. That was all Alecto knew. It had become her entire world. 

It felt as though something was trying to claw its way out of her skull. Images of people and places flashed through her mind in a whirlwind of color and sound. She could make no sense of what she saw though. She was sure she didn't know any of those people, nor had she been to any of those places. One image in particular kept repeating itself; that of a young man with black hair tied back in a pigtail. With that image there came a name, the name spoken by the warrior in red.

Ranma.

A thousand red-hot pokers stabbed at her brain and Alecto fell to her knees screaming and clutching at her head. Another wave of energy exploded outward as she tried desperately to find some release from the excruciating pain.

It felt to Sailor Mars as though she was being pushed through the tree she was leaning against. Faced with the press of energy coming from the screaming Alecto, she couldn't move a muscle, couldn't even open her eyes against the massive onslaught. She felt the tree at her back begin to give, heard a loud cracking noise. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

The screaming cut off abruptly and the energy died away as though it had never been. There were several thuds as bodies collided with the earth followed by loud groans from those who were still conscious. Opening her eyes carefully, Sailor Mars saw the comatose form of Alecto slumped across one arm of a large man. He was dressed in armor that was a lot like Megarea's only more ornate, and the sword he held in his free hand was of a more reasonable size although it still seemed huge to the Senshi. Hard blue eyes pinned Mars to the tree as easily as the energy blast had.

"We're leaving now," he stated in a hard voice, never taking his eyes off of the Senshi.

"What of these?" asked Megarea, pointing with her sword to the unconscious Mercury. The warrior looked a bit banged up, but not too badly hurt.

"Leave them. The Crystal bearer is not with them and they are no threat to our mission. You three have proven that much." 

A circle of green light appeared floating a few inches off of the ground behind the man. Megarea and Tisiphone entered the circle without another word and vanished. The man turned to follow, but stopped abruptly and looked back at Mars. Raising his sword, he saluted her and then followed the other two into the portal, easily carrying Alecto in one arm.

Sailor Mars watched as the portal melted away into nothingness and tried to figure out exactly what had just happened. Looking around the battlefield, her eyes came to rest on Sailor Venus who was laying on her back with her eyes shut and her body shaking. At first Mars thought she was having convulsions of some type, that something horrible had been done to her over the course of the fight. Then she realized that Venus was crying.

_We lost,_ _that's what happened. We lost very, very badly._


	9. Aftermath

Title: Warrior's of Light and Shadow: Chapter 9: Aftermath

Title: Warrior's of Light and Shadow: Chapter 9: Aftermath

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author's Notes: Sorry about the long delay on finishing this chapter. I had a case of creative blockage and it took me a while to get over it. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the next chapter much faster.

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda…

******

Dawn. It began with a glow on the horizon, a halo of soft, golden light. The glow grew steadily stronger, heralding the coming of Sol. There was a moment then, just as the radiance seemed brightest and any more would burn the world to ash, when everything seemed to pause. The universe took a breath, waiting.

The sun broke over the horizon in a blinding flash of light. Its rays flashed over the Earth like a golden rain, setting the world ablaze with color. Oceans became sparkling sapphires, forests became gleaming emeralds, and deserts became shimmering topazes. The sight was breathtaking.

Vanik watched the sunrise, a vision of serenity incarnate, with a sense of awe and wonder that he doubted would ever fade no matter how many times he witness such a display. He had watched a sunrise from space many times, from an orbit around many planets, and it was a sight he never got tired of, like a favorite painting or sculpture that somehow managed to capture everything one thought of as beautiful. Once he had seen a binary sunrise. That image still burned inside of his dreams, an undying ember that never lost its warmth. 

Along with the sense of awe he felt when beholding the dawning of a new day, Vanik also felt a sharp ache in his heart. He had been married once, to a woman whose beauty made what he was seeing now seem like little more than a child's crude attempt at drawing a flower. Waking before the night had relinquished its hold on the sky, and standing in her garden to await the dawn had been one of her favorite pastimes, one that Vanik had joined her in on many occasions. If the image of the binary sunrise was an ember that warmed his dreams, than the image he carried with him of his wife was a bonfire that seared his soul.

She was gone now, a victim of the Great War that had shattered their planet. The large warrior closed his eyes and bowed his head, remembering, dreaming, hoping.

The hiss of a door sliding open behind him caused Vanik to raise his head. A brush of slippers on the steel floor told him it was his brother, a fact that was confirmed a moment later when Geail spoke.

"I'm sorry, brother, I did not mean to intrude upon your meditation."

Vanik turned so that he could see his brother and still keep the golden orb rising in the viewscreen in the corner of his eye. Geail looked haggard and gaunt. His too pale skin was stretched over a too thin face that seemed to be perpetually frowning, and his robes draped shoulders that slumped with a great weight. The magic he was working to keep their operation running was taking its toll on the mage. Vanik worried a great deal for his brother's health, but he knew there was nothing he could do to help.

"You did not trouble me. What is it you need?'

Geail looked past him, to the sunrise. It seemed, then, that for a moment some of the weariness was washed from his body and he stood up a little straighter. When they had been young, the two brother's had stood together on a hill near their home and watched the sun creep over the horizon whenever they got a chance. They had dreamed the dreams children dream; of distant worlds and great deeds, righteous heroes and despicable villains that would do anything and use anybody to accomplish their nefarious schemes. They, of course, had been the heroes. How innocent they had been then.

"What did you do with them?" asked Geail, returning his attention to his brother.

Vanik didn't need his brother to specify whom he was speaking of. "Alecto is shackled and she shows no sign of waking up anytime soon. The other two are asleep in their cells. What are you going to do about Alecto?"

Geail rubbed at his tired eyes. "All I can do is try to strengthen the mind block. She must possess an incredible will to have been able to punch a hole in it."

Vanik nodded. "And what of Tisiphone and Megarea? The same thing could happen with them." His tone was even, but he thought that maybe it would be better if they did break free. At least then he could fight like the true warrior he was.

"Yes, I will have to work at strengthening their memory barriers as well. I'll do what I can today and we'll try again tomorrow. We'll send only one this time, though, have her try to flush out the Crystal Bearer. We do not want to tempt fate and risk having all three break free from us at the same time."

Vanik hesitated a moment before suggesting, "I could go in their place."

Shaking his head, Geail said, "You know you don't have the energy needed to recover if something were to go wrong. I would go myself, but my powers are still tied to our world and they fade even as Phokah dies." He paused and he shoulders slumped once more. "No, we are two crippled warriors forced to rely on others to fight our battles." His tone was bitter.

Without saying anything, Vanik turned his back on the rising sun and walked past his brother, heading for the door. He knew Geail was right and it rankled inside of him. There was nothing he could do though, nothing at all.

He paused as he reached the door leading out of the observation deck. Without turning, he asked, "Their names, Alecto, Tisiphone, Megarea, what do they mean? They are not names from our world."

"They are names I stumbled across while studying some of Earth's history. They are the names of three warrior spirits who dealt out justice swiftly and brutally to those they thought deserving of punishment."

"So you believe our cause to be just, then. That these three will be our..." He paused, searching for the right word.

"Executioners, brother," said Geail in a weary voice. "They will be our executioners. Our Furies."

Silence fell over the room like a thick shroud. It was broken only by the soft hiss of a door sliding open and the sound of booted feet fading down the corridor outside.

******

Minako lay on a futon in Rei's shrine, staring up at the simple wooden ceiling and trying not to move much. Moving hurt. So did talking, eating, thinking, and...she took a deep breath and felt her ribs groan in protest... yep, breathing hurt too. Closing her eyes, she made an attempt at falling asleep. Sleeping didn't hurt.

Unfortunately, she had slept soundly all last night and late into this afternoon and now, despite a feeling of intense weariness, she just couldn't go back to sleep. Of course, her nap time insomnia might have something to do with the fact that, every time she closed her eyes, the battle of the night before replayed itself in her head with startling clarity. Yeah, that was definitely not something that would ease a person into blissful slumber.

Ignoring the protests of her bruised and burned body, Minako slowly got up off the futon, wavering a moment as her legs debated if they really wanted to support her or if it would be more fun to drop her on her butt. After threatening to shave them with a rusty razor, they finally steadied enough to allow her to shamble out to the living room. There she found her friends lying around in various states of discomfort.

Once she had regained consciousness, Ami had done a marvelous job of attending to everyone's wounds—including her own—and now Rei's living room resembled a hospital common room. Haruka and Michiru were the least beat up, the two of them having arrived after the preliminaries but in time for much of the battle, particularly the portion of the fight where everyone got pounded into the ground. Mamoru had gotten off fairly easily as well, although the imprint of a foot marred his handsome features. Makoto and Rei were a different story.

Together they had a total of three cracked ribs, one broken nose, one dislocated shoulder, multiple lacerations, and an uncountable number of bruises. Each of them had a face that resembled a purple balloon too. Ami had assured them that the swelling would be mostly gone by tomorrow and their bruises would be a bit less noticeable, more of a sickly yellow than a deep purple. Rei was also sporting a set of purple fingerprints on her neck and throat.

Minako rubbed at the purple band around her own throat in sympathy. As for Ami, she was...not here. Minako scanned the room again for her friend and nurse, but still couldn't find her. 

"Where's Ami?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

As one, five heads turned to look at her. It was a slow process for some, one accomplished with a careful ease one uses when moving too quickly is guaranteed to bring pain to one portion of the body or another. They had been oblivious to her presence until then, either slumped in a chair brooding on the events of last night or laying on a futon with eyes shut in an attempt to get some rest. Now they regarded her with looks ranging from worried to exasperated.

"What are you doing out of bed?!" demanded Rei, looking annoyed as she stood up and stalked over to where Minako was standing. She moved stiffly, the cuts on her stomach shooting sharp pain through her body if she bent the wrong way. "You shouldn't be up and about in your condition. If you needed something you should have just called for it."

"I couldn't sleep," answered Minako calmly. "Don't worry about me, I'm …" Fine was what she wanted to say, but that surely didn't fit. "I'll be okay," she said with a wane smile. "But what about Ami? Where is she?"

"She went out to get some more bandages and some antiseptic," stated Haruka, eyeing Minako critically. There was a small glint of respect in her eyes. "She should be back soon."

"If she lives to get back!" exclaimed Minako in a voice that was supposed to be an angry shout, but sounded more like an indignant croak. "She has a concussion! How could you let her go out alone?!"

The blow delivered to Ami's head via Megarea's sword had left a very nasty bump on her head and she was still having a bit of difficulty with things like tying her shoes or standing for more than five minutes at a time. She had claimed it wasn't anything they should be worried about, but Minako didn't need a medical degree to see that she needed to stay on her back for several days. She was spending too much time taking care of the rest of them to properly attend to herself. 

"She said she was okay," protested Makoto, looking a little guilty.

"And you believed her?" Mumbling several comments comparing the intelligence of her friends to that of grass, she shambled towards the door. She had pushed her legs to the limit for the moment, though, and, deciding that they had had enough of standing, they gave out beneath her. Rei attempted to catch her, but since her right arm was in a sling, the only thing she managed to accomplish was falling to the floor on top of Minako. The pair groaned loudly as their injuries protested the harsh treatment.

Lying on the ground, hurt, annoyed, and frustrated, Minako could only think of one thing to say. "I want Usagi back!"

******

Ranma walked down the street, mentally running through a list of things that she would need to get at the store for dinner tonight. She had told the Tsukinos she could cook, and now they were taking her up on the offer. That was fine with her. She felt she owed them this much and more for being so nice to the sodden girl who had appeared in their house a week ago, trusting her enough to allow her to stay there.

She was alone since Usagi had been given numerous chores to do around the house. The ever-present katana was also absent seeing that she felt it would be awkward to juggle bags of groceries and the sword. She was going to have to fashion some sort of holder so she could carry it on her back or something.

Usagi hadn't been absent from Ranma's side since they had met, and now the martial artist felt strangely…lacking. It made no sense to the redhead; she had only know Usagi for a little over a week, but now that she was alone it was as if something small was missing. Of course, it might have been the absence of the sword and not Usagi that was causing the feeling of incompleteness that gnawed at the back of her mind. She hadn't been away from the blade for an extended period of time either.

Ranma finally decided that the absence of the sword's familiar weight in her hand was the cause of her discomfort. After all, why would she feel such a way about a girl? It had to be the sword. 

As she walked down the street, Ranma's eyes constantly darted around, never resting on one place for too long. It was a habit picked up from her time in Nerima when she had been constantly assaulted by a number of attackers, both known and unknown. She felt a little silly about being so paranoid she was away from all that now, but still... There was always the chance that Ryoga could stumble into the Juuban district, or that one of her fiancées could track her here. Sometimes she saw interesting things she wouldn't have seen otherwise, too.

Like now, for instance. A glance across the street to insure her uneasy mind that their weren't any bike riding Amazons stalking her showed Ranma a girl stumbling along the sidewalk, looking as though she would collapse any moment. What was even more interesting was the fact that Ranma knew her. Sort of.

Stopping so that she could get a better look, Ranma stared across the street at... what had Usagi said her name was? Ami, that was it. She was leaning against a wall now, one hand held against the bandage wrapped around her head, the other encumbered by a large sack. Even from the other side of the street Ranma could tell she was very pale and it didn't seem like she was going to be able to keep from falling much longer. 

Ami had a concussion, Ranma was sure. She'd had enough in her life to recognize the symptoms. She also knew that if no one helped the blue haired girl out, she'd probably collapse before she got to wherever it was she was going. And none of the people walking past her were doing more than glancing at her. Damn!

Muttering about how insensitive people were and cursing her own foolishness, Ranma stepped off the sidewalk into the street and started making her way through traffic to the other side.

******

Ami leaned heavily against the wall, silently willing the world around her to stop spinning. Her legs felt like jelly and her head was throbbing with a dull pain that seemed to be seeping down into the rest of her body. Bursts of color flashed across her vision, creating a disco like effect when paired with the spinning of the world around her. Moaning softly, she closed her eyes and tried not to throw up.

That didn't help as much as she hoped it would. She couldn't see anything any more, but it still felt as though she was swaying as if she was riding a boat over a choppy sea. The sounds of the city washed over her in an unrecognizable tumult of noise. Distantly she thought she heard the blare of a horn and a slew of expletives that would have made her blush if she'd had enough sense left to recognize them for what they were.

She felt herself sinking towards the ground, felt the bag in her hand slipping out of her grasp. She should have stayed at the shrine and rested.

Suddenly a strong hand grabbed her arm and a vaguely familiar voice said, "Steady now." Using the hand of her unknown savior for support, Ami tried to straighten up, but the hand pushed her firmly downward. "Don't try to stand, just sit down," instructed the voice in a sure tone. "You'll feel better."

Ami did as she was told, resting her back up against the wall. Slowly the lurching feeling faded and the queasiness in her stomach passed. She still felt weak, but now she wasn't going to be sick. Opening her eyes one at a time, she peered out to make sure the world had stopped spinning. It had, but everything still seemed a bit fuzzy.

"Feeling better?"

She started to nod, then thought better of it. "Yes, thank you." Turning her head slowly, she tried to get a look at her savior. "You!" she blurted when she saw the redhead kneeling down next to her.

Ranma grinned, she couldn't help herself. The look of shock and surprise on Ami's face was too precious. "Yep, it's me. The evil Ranma here to save you from yourself." She then grew serious. "What the hell are you doing wandering around with a concussion anyway?"

"Well, uh..." Ami was having trouble organizing her thoughts enough to form a cohesive sentence. The shock of suddenly seeing Usagi's new friend plus her concussion had done much to addle her mind.

Seeing that Ami wasn't quite up to answering simple questions at the moment, Ranma looked through the bag she had been carrying. Everything inside was quite familiar to the martial artist. "Monsters must've beat you guys up pretty bad yesterday," she commented as she looked over an extra large box of Band-Aids. "I'd hate to see what the others look like if you're the one they sent out shopping."

"I volunteered," said Ami sheepishly. It had been foolish for her to go out in her condition. Her fogged mind failed to pick up on the fact that Ranma shouldn't have known anything about why she was hurt. It just associated Ranma with Usagi, and therefor Ranma with the Senshi.

"Well that was dumb," commented Ranma without sympathy. The fact that she herself had done a number of things equally dumb for reasons that were generally less noble didn't faze her one bit. 

Ami frowned. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say."

"So you think wandering around Tokyo with a concussion is a smart thing? I thought you were supposed to be the brains of your little group," commented Ranma sarcastically, giving Ami a slightly smug look.

Her frown deepened as she started to grow angry. "Maybe what I did wasn't very smart, but that doesn't mean you have to be caustic about it." Ranma blinked as she tried to work out what the word 'caustic' meant, but Ami continued. "I realize you don't like me or the others, but you chose to come over here and help without me asking for assistance. If you don't want to be around me then leave, but don't insult me."

Ranma's first instinct was to become defensive, which would no doubt lead to her throwing more insults since that was what she generally did when she felt things weren't going her way. She managed to fight down that first reaction, though, and in so doing came to the realization that Ami was right. 

Of course, that didn't mean she was going to apologize.

Staring out across the street, Ranma said, "I can't leave you alone, you wouldn't get more than a block before passing out. I guess that means I hold off on the insults."

Ami stared up at Ranma in confusion. She just couldn't understand why this girl was willing to help a stranger and potential enemy. All she could do was ask, "Why?"

Ranma turned back to the blue-haired girl looking as though she didn't understand the question. "Huh?"

"Why are you helping me?"

The simple answer of "just because" didn't seem adequate, but Ranma didn't have a better one right then so she just shrugged. "Dunno."

Ami stared at the redhead with a look of surprise and confusion. "You don't know? Do you always go around helping people without a reason?"

Ranma shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess so. It's the duty of a martial artist to protect others," she said, reciting the words her father had pounded into her head on a daily basis while completely ignoring the duty himself.

"Even your enemies?"

The redhead had to consider that question for a moment. Ryoga was technically an enemy since he was always trying to throttle her, but they had teamed up on a number of occasions and she had helped him out a few times. If it was Ryoga suffering from a concussion, than she would have helped him. Hell, she'd even try to help out Kuno, provided he kept his hands to himself.

Of course, she knew those people, knew they weren't bad people. A bit stupid, but not really bad. But now she was here helping out Ami, whom she knew little about and that was pretty much all bad. Why bother to help someone who you might one day end up fighting?

Ranma tried to answer that question out loud. "Even if we had fought and it was me who gave you the concussion, I still wouldn't just leave you somewhere. It wouldn't be right. I may not like you much, but I don't think I'd be much of a martial artist if I just left you passed out in the middle of Tokyo. There are too many weirdoes running around out there." She grinned. "I hear there's a whole group of girls who dress up in skimpy costumes and race across the rooftops at night fighting monsters. Don't get much weirder than that."

Ami missed Ranma's humorous little remark. She was too busy staring at her. Ranma was just like Usagi. If she saw you in trouble, she helped out. It was obvious that the redhead hadn't really taken the time to think her actions over. She had simply seen someone in trouble and gone to help. Ami was sure Ranma was the type of person who stood by her friends no matter what, too. Just like Usagi.

Ami suddenly felt ill. Bile rose in her throat and she closed her eyes and tried to will the sickness away. It faded, but her stomach was feeling queasy again. Guilt gnawed away at the back of her mind and washed over her heart in a great wave.

"You can't stay here forever." Ranma stood up and extended her hand to Ami. "Here, get up."

The idea of standing didn't appeal to Ami just then. She wanted to stay right where she was until everything was better again. It occurred to her that that could take a very, very long time though, so she took the proffered hand and slowly pulled herself up. Her legs wobbled and she was forced to lean against Ranma's arm for support.

"Your legs will get stronger if you walk around a little," said Ranma. "You should stay in bed the rest of the day and all of tomorrow, though."

"Yes, you're right. Thank you for your help." She reached for the sack Ranma was holding in the crook of her arm, but the redhead kept it out of her reach. "If you would just return my sack I can be on my way and out of your hair," she said, confused by Ranma's actions.

The martial artist muttered something that Ami didn't quite catch but didn't sound very flattering. Louder, she said, "Didn't I tell ya I wasn't gonna let you wander around Tokyo until you passed out? I'm gonna make sure you get where you're going."

Ami just stared at Ranma, stunned. "You're going to...walk me home?"

The redhead nodded. "Yep." As if to make the escort official, Ranma took Ami's hand and started leading her down the street, heading in the direction Ami had before nearly passing out.

Ami followed along without protest, not that she felt protesting would have done a lot of good. Ranma's grip was very strong and she sensed a great deal of power coiled up in her muscles. Even if she had been completely healthy, Ami doubted she could have done much to stop Ranma from doing whatever she liked. Short of transforming, that was.

Not that she really wanted to stop Ranma from helping her. For some reason that, even with Ranma's explanation, Ami couldn't quite fathom, the martial artist was truly concerned about her well being. 

It crossed her mind that maybe Ranma was just using this as an excuse to learn more about her and the others, trying to scout out weaknesses in the enemy. Ami just couldn't see that as being the case, though. Something in Ranma's features, in the way she spoke, told the blue haired girl that Ranma was being sincere. She sensed that Ranma was not all that good at lying.

The two girls walked in silence except when Ami needed to give Ranma directions to the shrine where her friends were waiting. It wasn't that far away, but to Ami it felt like they had to walk clear across Tokyo. She had to stop regularly and wait for the world to stop spinning before she could continue on again, only to stop a minute later because her legs refused to move the way she wanted them to. Once she had to empty her stomach in an alley, something she was profoundly embarrassed about.

Ranma didn't seem to care, though. She took it all in stride, showing patience when Ami had to stop and rest, and making sure that her ward always had an arm to catch herself on when her legs gave way. Without Ranma, Ami knew she wouldn't have made it back to the shrine.

They finally arrived and Ranma had to practically carry Ami up the stairs. She was having problems with depth perception now, and couldn't quite figure out where to put her foot. If she had been in decent condition, Ami might have wondered at the wisdom of bringing Ranma to a place where she was bound to get into a confrontation with the rest of the girls. Unfortunately, the thought never crossed her mind.

The door to the shrine slid open and Ami stumbled in followed closely by Ranma who had a steadying hand on Ami's arm. At first no one really noticed the new arrivals. Minako was laying on the couch looking unhappy and tired as she glared across the room at Haruka and Michiru who were returning the dark look. Rei stood in the middle of the glaring match like a referee and the look on her face revealed that only a supreme amount of will was keeping the priestess's legendary temper in check. Makoto and Mamoru were sitting together against the far wall trying to look small.

"She's not fit to be Princess," stated Haruka in a cold voice. 

"She was doing fine until the two of you showed up." Minako's tone was angry, but there was a slight waver in her voice that betrayed the weariness she was feeling.

Michiru spoke and her voice sent a shiver down Ami's spine. "The ginzuishou did not respond to her call when she fought with us. If she was the true Princess, the Crystal would have responded to her need and defended her."

"It did a fine job of defending her when we tried to steal it from her!"

"A fluke," said Haruka, and it looked like she was going to say more, but Rei interrupted.

"Enough!" Her eyes blazed with an inner fire and her voice held enough heat to melt steel. She stabbed a finger at Haruka and Michiru. "The two of you have caused nothing but trouble since you showed up! You want to pass judgment on a person you don't know nearly as well as we do and you keep using the same stale argument to justify your belief that Usagi's not worthy to be the Princess! You weren't there when she fought Beryl, you weren't there when she took on the Black Moon family, you don't know anything about her!" Rei's words set Haruka and Michiru back on their heels and brought a smug look to Minako's face. The look was wiped clean away when the priestess turned her fiery gaze on the lounging blonde.

"We all met," she said in a voice that was deceptively calm, "we all talked, we all weighed the evidence, and we _all_ decided to…relieve Usagi of the ginzuishou. Yesterday we got our asses kicked by opponents we outnumbered two to one. I can guarantee you that those three will show up again and I can guarantee you that if we do not all fight together we will lose again. The decision concerning Usagi was made and we will _all _abide by it." 

Rei continued to stare at Minako until the blonde nodded reluctantly, then the priestess let out a slow breath. "Good, now we can…" She trailed off as she spotted Ami standing in the doorway. Relief showed in her features, but it was gone an instant later when she spotted Ranma. All semblance of calm vanished. "What is _she_ doing here?!" she screeched.

All eyes turned to regard the redhead and none of the looks she received were friendly. None of them quite rivaled the open hostility of Rei's fiery gaze, however. Ranma put on a cocky smile. There was obviously a rift between these girls, one that she might be able to widen if she said the right things. 

Before Ranma could say anything, though, Ami explained. "She found me nearly passed out on the street and helped me out." She was speaking quickly, trying to diffuse a potentially violent situation. It was obvious that tempers were running high and Rei had never tried to hide her hatred for Ranma. "If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't have made it back here, I would have fallen unconscious in the middle of the street. Ranma didn't have to help me, but she did anyway."

Looks were exchanged between the others, except for Rei, who never took her eyes off of Ranma. If she had been able to actually burn objects with just her eyes, Ranma would have been nothing more than a pile of ash. She could have been completely ignoring the redhead for all the reaction she received for her efforts.

"Maybe she didn't have to help you," said Haruka in a cool voice, "but I bet by doing so she hoped to gain your trust and learn our weaknesses. She just saw your plight as an opportunity."

Ranma regarded the tall blonde calmly. "Unlike some other people, I don't go around lookin' for people to make friends with so I can turn around a stab them in the back." Everyone winced and a lot of the anger slid from Rei's features. "And I don't need to know your weaknesses to beat you," she added, wishing she hadn't a moment later. 

Haruka smiled a slightly wicked smile. Ranma had caused her to miss out on getting the ginzuishou from Usagi and now she had a chance to get back at her. Knocking her teeth out would prove a decent revenge. "You sound awfully sure of yourself."

Ranma knew where this was leading, had been here too many times to count. She was heading for a fight, something she had hoped to avoid by leaving Nerima. Trouble seemed attracted to her, though, and pride—or maybe it was arrogance—would keep her from backing down from the implied challenge.

"There's no reason not to be. No one here is a match for me. I'm the best."

"I'll take you on right here!" growled Rei. "I'll rip that cocky smile right off your face!"

Ranma snorted. "With your arm in a sling?"

The question sobered Rei up. She had forgotten about her injuries. "I'll heal," she muttered.

"Rei can't fight, but I can," said Haruka, her smile growing slightly larger. "I'll show you that it's not wise to underestimate us."

Ranma tried to find a way out of the challenge without openly backing down, but she could find no escape. She had thrown down the gantlet by declaring that she was the best, and now she had to prove it. Despite the fact that she wanted to avoid fighting and live in peace, the thought of a fight was…exciting. Ranma was surprised to find that she was eager to flex her muscles in combat. After all, wasn't that what she'd wanted to leave behind.

"Tomorrow," she declared. "After school, at the soccer field."

Haruka nodded. "Tomorrow."

Mamoru watched Ranma turn and begin to leave. This was the first time he had actually seen the girl that had apparently appeared out of nowhere to team up with Usagi, but there was something familiar about her. Her outfit and hairstyle reminded him of the guy he had run into at the fair last night. He had been with Usagi as well. Of course, he had also been taller, had black hair, and, perhaps most importantly, had been male. Maybe they were related.

Ranma paused in the doorway for a moment, and without turning around said, "Better show up as a Senshi. You won't stand a chance otherwise."

A collective gasp followed Ranma out of the shrine, but she hardly noticed. She was too busy trying to figure out how she'd managed to get herself into such a stupid mess.

******

"...and that is how steam will save the world."

Ryoga looked over at the strange old man he was sitting next to on a bench at some high school or another. The man was short with dark hair that seemed to stick out in all directions at once, and glasses that were, if anything, larger than the ones Mousse wore. Ryoga had simply meant to find out where he was and if Ranma or, more importantly, Akane was in the vicinity, but the man had started going on and on about steam, not letting the martial artist get a word in edgewise.

"So?" prompted the man. "What do you think of my theories?"

"Um... There great, er, Professor Steamhead." They were speaking english, a language Ryoga spoke fluently. He was actually fluent in over a dozen languages he had picked up in his travels. Two of them hadn't been spoken on Earth in over fifty thousand years and another had never been spoken anywhere near the place.

"Yep, steam can solve any problem, cure any ailment," exclaimed Steamhead jubilantly.

That caused Ryoga's ears to perk up. "Cure any ailment? Do you think it can cure a curse?"

Steamhead regarded him curiously for a moment, then asked, "What kind of curse?"

"Oh, you know. The kind that turns a person into a pig every time they're splashed with cold water." If he could find a cure here in this strange place, Ranma wouldn't stand a chance against him. When he finally found Ranma, that was.

The odd man considered what Ryoga had said for a moment, then whipped a chalkboard out of nowhere and started scratching various numbers and symbols on it with a piece of chalk while mumbling to himself. Ryoga watched for a moment, but quickly grew bored and turned his attention to his surroundings.

There was a school nearby with a large sign reading "Quagmire High School." That meant he was somewhere named Quagmire, not that that information did him any good. Looking around some more he spotted a pack of ninjas lurking in the shadows around the school, a large robot with the letters RNC written on one arm attempting to incinerate a flying girl with a large T on her chest, another girl with two sets of ears wearing some sort of battle armor and carrying a cannon roughly three times her size, and what he could only assume to be a witch riding a broomstick. Not seeing anything too out of the ordinary, he turned back to Steamhead. The man was just finishing up his calculations.

"Yes..." he said slowly, then more excitedly. "Yes! I can help you! As I said, anything is possible with steam!"

Ryoga's heart thudded in his chest. At long last he had a cure! No longer would he be a freak! When he finally found Akane, rescued her from the villains who had kidnapped her, he'd be able to face her as a man! Now not even Ranma would be able to stand in his way! Tears of happiness streamed down his face as he raised clenched fist to the sky. Things were finally going his way!

"Come right this way," bade Steamhead as he started walking towards the school. "I'll have you fixed up in a jiffy."

Unfortunately, Ryoga being Ryoga, he headed off in the direction opposite the way Steamhead was going. Half an hour later, Ryoga had flattened the robot, beat the crap out of the ninjas, and gotten himself thoroughly lost in a dense forest. That, of course, meant that...

"This is all your fault, Ranma!!" bellowed Ryoga, waving a clenched fist at the sky. "Just you wait! I'll find you and then you'll pay! You'll pay for all the torment you've put me through, and you'll pay for letting Akane be kidnapped! Mark my words, Ranma, you will PAY!!!"


	10. Showdown!

Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 10: Showdown!

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG-13

E-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Sailor Moon or Ranma 1/2

******

Ranma stood waist deep in the cold blue waters of the ocean, staring out over the wind kissed waves at the distant horizon. There was something out there. It was just beyond his vision, just past the place where water and sky melted into one. He couldn't see it, but he could sense it. It was a hand hovering just above his, a smile in the shadows, a beautiful voice lost in the wind.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew what it was, but he couldn't call it forth. It stood just outside of his reach, taunting him with its mystery.

"RAAAAANMAAAAA!!" called a distant voice.

The voice didn't belong to whatever waited for him beyond the horizon. This new voice came from behind him and was filled with things he rarely heard: sincerity, warmth, understanding, and compassion. It touched something deep inside of him and brought a smile to his lips.

Ranma turned so he could see the beach. A girl stood on the long strip of sand, her long golden hair streaming out behind her in a stray breeze, shimmering brilliantly in the rays of the sun. Even from here he could see her cheerful smile and the way it caused her cerulean eyes to shine with an inner brilliance. 

"RAAAAANMAAAAA!!" called the girl again, waving to him from where she stood on the beach.

He waved back, but his own smile faded as he looked back at the horizon. What was out there? What was it that was causing him to feel as though something was missing in his life? Shaking his head, he turned back to the beach and the girl waiting for him there. He took a step in that direction.

_Help me…_

The words burned his mind like a flaming brand.

"WAKE UP!!"

Ranma jerked awake, falling sideways out of her chair and crashing headfirst into the hard linoleum floor of the classroom. A groan escaped her lips as laughter erupted from the other students that shared her math class. She didn't understand what they thought was so damn funny. That had hurt!

She gave them all a good glare as she stood up, but they continued to watch her with wide grins and chuckles of amusement. Except for Usagi, who gave her a small, sympathetic smile. Her teacher hadn't joined the students in their mirth either, and appeared to be less than impressed with her pupil. Ranma quickly replaced her glare with the innocent smile she always tried when in trouble. It had never actually succeeded at getting her out of trouble, but she was sure it would come through for her one of these days.

Today was not that day.

"That was the second time today I've caught you napping in my class, Ranma!" scolded the teacher. "I see now why Usagi and you are friends. You two have much in common."

Usagi made an indignant sound that was accompanied by a loud snicker from Rei. The raven-haired girl was behind Ranma, and the redhead took the opportunity to give her the finger while using her body to block the motion from her teacher's sight. The snicker turned to an angry growl.

Ranma didn't understand what the stupid girl was doing at school in the first place. She looked like she was still in pretty bad shape, though she seemed to be in better condition than a few of the others. Ranma had seen Ami with her head wrapped in bandages leaning heavily against some lockers earlier that day. It seemed she hadn't been listening when Ranma had told her to stay in bed for a few days. 

"I was up late doing my homework so I didn't get much sleep," lied Ranma.

In fact, she had been up late worrying about the fight she had agreed to. She wasn't worried that she would lose, there was no chance of that, but she had misgivings about the fight in general. This was how it had started in Nerima, a series of duels with that idiot Kuno. It seemed that after that her life had simply become one fight after another. She didn't want that to happen again.

The teacher arched a skeptical eyebrow. "But your homework wasn't finished."

"Uh, well, I meant the homework for another class," stammered Ranma, realizing that this argument wasn't going to get her anywhere. She started wracking her brain for one that would, but she couldn't come up with a single idea. The buzzing of the bell sounding the end of the school day saved her. 

"Bye!" she blurted, hastily grabbing her things and rushing out the door before her teacher could assign her detention. 

Once outside in the hallway she waited for Usagi, who was quick to appear since she feared the same fate. The pair hurriedly put several floors between themselves and their teacher, neither of them trusting her not to track them down just so she could ruin their afternoon. Not that Ranma felt her afternoon was going to be all that great with or without detention. 

Usagi was all for leaving the school as fast as possible, but Ranma stopped short of the front doors and her friend paused as well, shooting the redhead a curious look. Leaning up against a wall, Ranma watched the river of students flowing past her towards their well-earned freedom. Several of them waved or nudged a friend and pointed her out as they passed by. Word of the today's fight had been spread around and their promised to be a large audience.

"Is something wrong, Ranma?" asked Usagi worriedly. 

She hadn't said much since she'd heard about Ranma's encounter yesterday and the upcoming fight. Ranma had been a little worried that Usagi was mad at her. Not just about the fight, but about the fact that she had revealed to Usagi's friends the fact that she knew who they were. She knew she wasn't supposed to know, and also knew that she had probably caused Usagi even more trouble. Right now though, Ranma saw only concern in her eyes.

"I'm fine. I just need to think for a moment." 

Honestly there wasn't much to think about. She was either going to go out there and pound Haruka—there seemed little chance she was going to show up as Uranus—into the ground, or she was just going to go home and end up branded a coward. She had never once backed down from a fight and she had no intention of doing so now, but it was just so…so damn annoying. 

The steady flow of students leaving the school had become a trickle and now Ranma and Usagi were nearly alone in the hallway. A stray ray of sunlight shining through the window on the door caused Usagi's hair to catch fire and shimmer like gold for an instant. That instant seemed like an eternity for Ranma.

Hair like spun gold, eyes like a summer sky, skin that made silk seem rough, and a face that had to have been sculpted by one of the world's greatest artists. These thoughts whirled through Ranma's mind in that instant, calling up strange and uncomfortable feelings from somewhere deep down inside. Memories of that first night when she had seen Usagi nearly naked in the bathroom also sprang forth. Ranma's face burned in embarrassment.

Pushing away from the wall and turning away so that Usagi couldn't see how red her face was, Ranma cleared her throat. "We should, uh, get going now." She started for the door, but Usagi's hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Are you going to do it? Are you really going to fight with Haruka?" Ranma just nodded. She knew that Usagi didn't like the idea. "Why?"

Ranma didn't immediately answer. It was a good question. Why go through with something she didn't want to do, something she really didn't need to do? Pride, that was the answer. There was nothing noble about this fight, no great cause, no defending of ideals. She wasn't even doing it because Haruka had hurt Usagi. She was doing it because her pride was on the line. That was why she was always doing things like this.

Was it worth it, then? 

Shrugging off Usagi's hand, Ranma opened the door. "Because I gotta," she stated in a cold voice.

Usagi watched worriedly as Ranma made her way down the stone steps outside. There was something wrong with her friend. She had seen it yesterday when Ranma had returned from shopping and told her what had happened with Ami and the others. There had been a great weariness in her eyes then. It was similar to what had been there on that rain soaked night when they had first met. That look had faded over the last two weeks, but now it was back and Usagi was deeply concerned.

Usagi hurriedly followed her friend down the steps and around the building towards the area that had been designated as the ring for the fight. She quickened her pace until she was walking next to Ranma, and then slowed so that the two walked side by side. She wanted to say something to stop this or to at least comfort Ranma, but she couldn't come up with anything. It made her feel useless that she couldn't help out her friend. She stared down at the ground dejectedly. 

"So the mighty warrior marches off to battle," proclaimed a voice cracked with age. The heads of both girls swiveled to look at the old man leaning against the wall of the school calmly smoking a pipe. It was the same old man Ranma had seen at the ice cream shop and they had both met at the fair when Ranma had been a guy. "And for what reason do you go to fight?"

Those words, so similar to the question asked just a few minutes ago, caused Ranma's eyes to narrow. "Who are you?" she demanded, her hand tightening around her sheathed katana.

The old man gave her a gap-toothed smile. "I'm just an old man with too much time on his hands."

Ranma snorted in obvious disbelief. "You're followin' me around," she accused. "You're just some pervert with a school girl fetish, ain't ya? I'm telling you right now that if you try anything you'll regret it, old man. Just stay the hell away from me!"

"That could be true I suppose," mused the man, "except for the fact that you're not really a girl, are you, Ranma?" The old man's smile widened and he gave a soft chuckle at the looks of stunned surprise that painted the faces of both girls. Pushing himself away from the wall, he turned away from the pair and started walking towards the front of the school. "Don't think so highly of yourself, Ranma," he called back over his shoulder. "I wouldn't be following you around if I had a choice, but you don't give me many options."

Ranma and Usagi were left staring dumbly after the man, unable to make sense of what he had said or figure out how he knew what he knew. Finally, after he had disappeared from sight, Ranma gave a low growl and stalked off, once again headed for her fight with Haruka. With a last curious glance in the direction the man had gone, Usagi followed after the redhead.

"Who do you suppose that guy is?" she asked when she had caught up with Ranma again.

"I don't know and I don't care!" spat Ranma, and Usagi was taken aback by his vehement tone. "If I see him around again though…" She let her clenched fist finish the threat.

Ranma wore anger like a mask now, and a feral light dancing in her eyes caused Usagi's worries to grow. This burning anger had stripped away Ranma's weariness, but she thought that somehow the anger was worse. Anger brought with it poor judgment and unreasoning action, and those were things that Ranma didn't need going into a fight. She found herself worrying about Haruka a little as well.

"You're not going to hurt her too badly, are you?" Ranma glanced at Usagi quizzically. "Haruka, I mean. She's not very nice sometimes, but I don't think she deserves to be hurt. Not too hurt, at least," she amended.

Ranma shrugged. "I was planning more on humiliating her than hurting her. But why are you worried? I thought you would want to see Haruka get pounded into the ground."

Usagi shook her head. "Not really. It's strange, I suppose, but after all they did to me I still don't like the idea of seeing any of them hurt." She was silent for several moments, then added, "No one deserves to be hurt."

Ranma disagreed with her there, but she kept her silence. She had met too many jerks over the years who needed a good butt-kicking. Haruka seemed like one of those people, but Ranma had never felt comfortable hitting a girl even when she was one herself. It always left her feeling like she had done something wrong. Defeating Haruka without ever really hitting her would be enough, she decided. 

A large crowd was waiting for them when they reached the dirt field behind the school. It seemed as though half the student body had turned out to watch the fight. Haruka was standing in the middle of the field looking impatient and more than a little smug. It was obvious she expected an easy fight.

"Here," said Ranma, handing Usagi her school bag and the wrapped katana. "Hold these for me, will ya?"

Usagi took the proffered items and then followed Ranma as she began to wade through the crowd. At first the other students were reluctant to give way to someone pushing from behind, but when they realized who it was a clear path opened. Ranma stepped out onto the field of battle and, without hesitation, marched out towards Haruka. Usagi stopped at the edge of the mass and looked around for Rei and the others. She found them standing together almost directly opposite her, right behind Haruka. Luna and Artemis had come as well, the pair sitting at Minako's feet.

She was saddened to see her former friends gathered together while she stood alone, separated from them by a field of battle. How was it that all those happy times they had spent together had been ended so suddenly? Even now, after she'd had a week to let it sink in, it didn't seem real. Somehow she felt that she should still be standing over there with them. One group bound by friendship and a common goal. 

But that had become little more than a distant dream. Now they were two groups, separated by actions and words that could never be revoked. Usagi's eyes flickered to Ranma and Haruka where they stood before one another. And now those two groups were about to meet each other in battle. 

A shiver ran through Usagi. Ranma and Haruka's battlefield suddenly seemed much larger and more sinister. A never-ending wasteland where dreams came to die.

******

"What do you think about this?" asked Artemis, whispering so that he wouldn't reveal his true nature to the non-magical members of the crowd.

Luna was ignoring both Ranma and Haruka; her sharp gaze fixed on Usagi. She didn't seem to be any worse for wear despite the recent events. This surprised Luna, who had been sure that the flighty girl would have been in the throes of an emotional breakdown by now. She was relieved to see that her one time charge was holding up well. 

Her red eyes shifted to the redhead strutting into the improvised ring. Was this girl the reason Usagi was holding up so well? Or had Usagi's forced expulsion from the Senshi allowed her to grow up a little? There wasn't a day that went by that Luna didn't wish she was still living in the Tsukino residence. There were so many questions that might have been answered had she been allowed to remain at her post. 

"I don't like it," replied Luna. "I don't like any of it. This never should have happened. The last time something such as this took place it led to civil war. Do you remember, Artemis?"

Luna's companion nodded. When the Moon Kingdom had been in its infancy, before the thousand years of peace eventually shattered by Metallia, a great war between rival factions led by the various Senshi had broken out. It had lasted thirty-four years, and finally ended without any true resolution. Seeing the bloody devastation they were bringing down upon the Kingdom's worlds, the combatants had simply grown too weary to continue the fight. It had been a dark and terrible time.

"Do you think something like that could happen again?" asked Artemis uneasily.

Luna considered for a moment, then shook her head. "Not on such a scale, no, but if this ends in open combat a good portion of Tokyo could be destroyed." She glanced up at Minako and the others, and a feeling of great sadness washed over her as she took in their beaten and battered forms. "With this new enemy on the loose I doubt it will come to that, though. Either we will resolve this and they will all unify against this new threat, or we will lose everything."

It was a harsh statement, but Artemis couldn't deny the truth in Luna's words. Even had the Senshi presented a unified front, Artemis had to wonder how well they would have fared against the enemy. It had been seven to three the other night, and the Senshi had still been brushed aside like so many ants. Could Usagi really have provided enough power to sway the tide of battle? 

That thought weighed heavily on his mind as he turned his attention back to the brewing fight.

******

Haruka greeted Ranma with a sharp look. "I didn't think you were going to show."

Ranma returned the glare with an arrogant grin. "You're not the most important thing on my to do list. I had to take care of some stuff first." She looked her opponent up and down, noting that she was still dressed in a boy's school uniform like her own. "Decided not to take my advice and transform, huh?" She kept her voice pitched low enough so that only Haruka could hear the comment. 

The blonde frowned and her glare intensified. Then she gave Ranma a smile that didn't begin touch the ice in her eyes. "You think too much of yourself. I'll make this quick since you have so much to do." She flowed into a stance with her feet out wide and her hands up ready to punch or block as required.

"How nice of you." Ranma placed her hands in her pockets and just stood there with a lopsided grin on her face.

Members of the audience began to mutter to one another as they tried to figure out what Ranma was doing. She didn't seem to realize she was leaving herself wide open. They began to wonder if Ranma knew anything about fighting, or if this was going to be a complete slaughter. They couldn't hear anything of what had been said, so perhaps Ranma had offered Haruka a free shot. If that was the case, than she was a very foolish person.

Off to the side, Rei laughed as she watched Ranma assume her unorthodox fighting stance. "She's not taking Haruka seriously," she told her friends in a haughty voice. "This fights going to be over so fast the stupid girl's not even going to get the chance to throw a punch."

The other's nodded in agreement, but a voice from behind them declared differently.

"Ranma will win."

The five Senshi turned to see who it was that was so obviously blind. This took more effort for some than others. Waves of dull, throbbing pain washed through Ami's head whenever she turned it, no matter how carefully or slowly she moved. She had spent all day training herself to move her entire body around when she wanted to look at something, and so turning herself around was a slow, stiff process that caused her to resemble a store mannequin that had just recently learned to walk. It kept the pain to a minimum, though.

Minako was on crutches for the day and was still getting used to moving around with them, so her about face was nearly as ungainly as Ami's. Her friends had encouraged her to stay home and rest all day, but she wouldn't hear of it. She had wanted to come see the fight, though she wholeheartedly disapproved of the whole affair. In her mind there was absolutely no point to all of this, but Haruka wouldn't even listen to her when she had asked the stoic girl to back out. Rei and Michiru were both pleased with the situation as well, though Makoto, who was usually all for a good fight, was oddly silent on the matter. Ami had also disapproved. 

Rei, Makoto, and Michiru managed to turn and face the dissenter with only a minor amount of pain and discomfort. Several of the other students who were standing nearby also turned to see who had spoken up.

None of them recognized the older girl standing there regarding them with a knowing smile. She wasn't wearing a school uniform, but was instead dressed in tight blue jeans and a loose gray sweater. Her brown hair fell just short of her shoulders. The pair of brown eyes that regarded Rei calmly made her feel as though she had just been placed upon a set of scales.

"Ranma will win," repeated the girl in a sure voice.

"What makes you so sure of that?" asked Michiru in a cool voice. She didn't like anyone taking her lover as lightly as this newcomer seemed to be. "You don't look as if you attend school here. Do you even have any idea who Ranma's opponent is?"

The girl nodded. "Haruka Tenoh; a skilled race car driver, talented pianist, and master martial artist. Her speed is perhaps her most impressive physical attribute although she is still quite strong. At this school only Makoto Kino," she nodded to the brunette, "can come close to matching her martial prowess. However, despite all of her skills, she's still going to lose."

Michiru didn't know what to say. She really hadn't expected much of an answer, maybe a nod or a simple no. Instead she'd gotten a fairly complete, if simple, rundown on who Haruka was. And since she knew so much about Haruka and was still professing that she was going to lose, that meant…

"Do you know much about Ranma?" asked Michiru, hoping that she could get some information on the mysterious girl.

The girl nodded again. "Ranma…" she hesitated here for a moment, then continued on. "Faster, stronger, and a better all around fighter than Haruka." 

Michiru waited for more, but nothing was forthcoming. The girl simply regarded her calmly. She was about to ask for more when Rei piped up in an annoyed voice.

"I don't think you have any idea what you're talking about. Haruka's going to put Ranma down without breaking a sweat!"

The girl's smile took on a devilish cast. "Are you sure?"

Rei nodded. "Absolutely."

"Two-thousand yen sure?"

It took a few moments for Rei to fully grasp the implications of that question. The girl wanted to bet on the fight, an idea Rei didn't find all that appealing. She got a regular allowance, essentially payment for her work at the shrine, and it was more than enough to cover the bet, but it wouldn't leave her with much left over if she lost. There was a new dress she really wanted to get…

"Not so sure, I see," prodded the girl, seeing hesitation. "It seems you have no faith in your friend."

Rei gritted her teeth. Ignoring the voice in the back of her head that told her she was doing something foolish, she said, "Fine. I bet you two thousand yen that Haruka wins the fight."

The girl nodded. "Done. And the rest of you?" She cast an appraising eye over the remaining girls.

It didn't take much for Nabiki to reel in the other four girls, although Ami probably wouldn't have gone along if the rest of them hadn't pitched in. Ten thousand yen wasn't a bad days take. The thought that she might actually lose the bet didn't even cross her mind. Betting against Ranma was never profitable.

Nabiki turned her attention back to the upcoming fight. Both Ranma and Haruka were engaged in the pre-fight staring contest that seemed to accompany so many of these sort of matches. Haruka seemed to be waiting for Ranma take up a fighting stance and was growing more and more agitated as the redhead continued to just stand there. It wouldn't be long before the action began.

Nabiki had found it surprising when Umino had told her that a girl and not a boy named Ranma had started attending Juuban High School. She had believed it to be some sort of mistake until she'd actually talked to several others at the school. Everyone had been eager to tell what they knew about the arrival of the new girl, her sudden friendship with a girl named Usagi, and the break up of what had always been thought of as the tightest group of friends at the school. It had been easy for Nabiki to learn everything she needed to know.

In Nabiki's estimation, Ranma's overriding masculine pride had always been one of his biggest faults, so she found it strange that he was actually allowing others to think of him as a girl. She could only come up with two explanations for the strange behavior. 

One was that Ranma was clever enough to realize that he would be harder to track down as a girl since no one would think to look for him in that form. Nabiki didn't completely dismiss this possibility, for Ranma had shown brief bursts of intelligence every now and then—she felt that his leaving was one of these bursts—but she didn't think he was really that sneaky. The other possibility was even less likely though, and that was that Ranma hadn't left because he was fed up with everything, but because he wasn't as masculine as he liked everyone to believe. Perhaps he had grown a bit too attached to his female form?

Nabiki shook her head. She just couldn't see it. There had to be a factor that she hadn't encountered yet. Possibly he had run afoul of something that kept him from changing back into a guy. Or maybe he had lost his memories and now thought he was really a girl. Maybe it wasn't Ranma at all, but some demon disguised as his female form. With Ranma, there really was no way to tell for sure.

Being the type of person who always tried to turn every situation to her best advantage, Nabiki was very good at reading people. She was a exceptionally good at discovering a person's strengths and weaknesses, both physical and mental, and could accurately predict how a person would act in a given situation after she had spent only a few days around them. After having spent a couple years around Ranma, who read like an open book, she should have been able to easily deduce what he was doing running around as a girl, something he professed to despise. 

There was, however, a chaotic element to Ranma. Where most people would go right or left, Ranma might go up, shoot off at an angle, or plunge through the nearest wall. Add to that the fact that he seemed to attract a number of equally chaotic friends and enemies, and Nabiki found it increasingly difficult to figure out why Ranma did some of the things he did. 

In the end, Nabiki supposed it didn't really matter why Ranma did what he did, just so long as he did what she wanted him to. In this case, that entailed finding and rescuing her sister. She didn't think convincing him to do that would be too much of a problem. While Ranma was unpredictable, he was also easy to manipulate. 

******

"What do you think you're doing?" growled Haruka. 

Ranma was standing across from her in a lazy pose that left too many openings to count. Haruka wanted to win--knew she _would_ win--but she wanted this to be a fight, too. If Ranma was just going to stand there with her hands in her pockets than this was going to be decidedly quick and very boring. And if Ranma thought she could obtain a bit of mercy by not fighting than Haruka was ready to show her the error of that assumption.

"I don't need my hands to beat you," replied Ranma in an infuriatingly cocky voice. "I figure I could probably do it with only one leg too, but that would take too long."

Haruka didn't waste anymore time with words. She simply attacked. 

Her movements were incredibly quick, a shuffle step to bring her into range and then a powerful kick to Ranma's gut. All the force of her kick was directed in and up. She was intent on driving the air from her opponent's lungs so she could see the redhead on her knees. The blow should have landed. Ranma hadn't made a move to defend herself and, in Haruka's mind, it was too late to try and dodge. She was just too close, her attack too fast. The blow should have landed, but it didn't.

Haruka's foot shot through the space where Ranma had been an instant before. There was nothing there now, though, and Haruka couldn't understand what had happened. Then a hint of motion caught her eye and she looked down. There was Ranma, bent over backwards at the knees, the line of her body following the line of Haruka's leg so that the blonde's foot hovered just over Ranma's chest. Her hands were still in her pockets.

"It's a balance thing," said Ranma in response to the incredulous stare she was receiving. "It's harder to do as a girl, though, with the extra ballast and all."

Haruka didn't take any time to wonder about Ranma's odd statement. She snapped her foot back and sent herself into a spin, ducking low and thrusting out her other leg as she completed her turn. Ranma had dodged her first attack through some miracle, but there was no way that the redhead could reset her center of balance in time to dodge the leg sweep. 

Ranma had no intention of trying to rebalance herself, though. She simply kicked her feet up, allowing the sweep to pass beneath her. For an instant it seemed as though she hung suspended in the air parallel to the ground. Haruka felt triumphant as she watched Ranma begin to fall. She knew this one move wouldn't be the end of the fight, but it pleased her to think of Ranma laying in the dirt. Her delight was short lived, however.

Ranma's hands came out of her pockets and she planted them firmly on the ground, halting her descent. Not even her feet hit the ground. Looking more like a gymnast than a martial artist, she swung her body through the opening between her arms and pulled herself up into a perfect handstand facing away from Haruka. 

In such a position Ranma had no means to defend herself from an attack, or even see if an attack was coming. She held the position just long enough to toss Usagi a quick wink. Then she was airborne.

Even though she was using only her arms, Ranma still managed to propel herself nearly ten feet into the air. She corkscrewed through the air, twirling like a gyroscope on its axis. She came down facing Haruka. Casually, she placed her hands back into her pockets and shot Haruka a bored look.

Haruka didn't know what to think. She'd only attacked twice, but both those attacks had been quick, powerful, and well executed. Yet Ranma had managed to dodge both of them deftly and with seemingly little effort. She was forced to wonder if Ranma was really as good as she said she was.

Silence had descended over the crowd of onlookers. They had come to see a fight and instead they were witnessing a performance akin to what they would see at a circus. The thoughts of Rei and the other Senshi were wandering a path similar to Haruka's. Was Ranma really _that_ good? Was Haruka in over her head? Had they just lost a lot of cash?

Usagi and Nabiki wore almost identical smiles. No doubts as to the outcome of the fight circled through their minds.

"You should just quit now," smirked Ranma. "You can't beat me."

"All I've seen is some fancy dodging," growled Haruka. "Is that all you can do? Or can you actually fight?!" she finished with a shout.  
Shoving her doubts aside, Haruka hurled herself at Ranma. She unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks at the redhead, keeping the power low and the speed high with the intent of denying Ranma the incredible speed she seemed to possess. To her credit, she did force Ranma to take her hands out of her pockets again, this time in order to block those few strikes she couldn't dodge. Those strikes were few indeed, though.

Ranma moved with an agility Haruka had seen only matched by the ninja girl she had fought the other night. She was so quick that it seemed sometimes her form blurred into two separate images. Haruka realized that she had no chance of landing a blow, and the only thing she could do was wear the redhead down to a point where she would be able to hit her. That or transform, which she wasn't about to do in front of all these people.

"You're fast I suppose," said Ranma in the midst of dodging a combination of kicks. "But not that fast. Want me to show you what real speed is?"

Ranma didn't wait for an answer before smoothly stepping from defense into offense. To Haruka and everyone else gathered it looked like a single movement. A quick darting motion with one hand. The speed behind the strike was truly impressive and Haruka was caught completely off guard, unable to even began thinking of a block that would stop it. The expected blow never fell, though. Ranma simply retracted her hand and leapt away.

Breathing heavily, Haruka stared suspiciously at the redhead, who was wearing an amused grin on her face. "A fancy trick that does nothing?" she asked in a cold voice. "You're not fighting, you're just playing games."

"Games are all you're worth," taunted Ranma as she casually tossed a series of pebbles into the air and caught them again.

No, thought Haruka as her opponent repeated the gesture. Not pebbles, buttons. Her eyes widened in surprise as the front of her shirt suddenly burst open and she realized exactly what it was Ranma had done. 

"Catch," said Ranma, hurtling the buttons towards Haruka. Once again it looked like only a single movement, but in actuality she threw all five buttons singularly. One hit Haruka in the stomach, another in the middle of her chest, one in each shoulder, and the last struck her in the forehead. The light pieces of plastic didn't hit very hard, but in her stunned state it was enough to cause Haruka to stumble backwards and fall into a sitting position.

She couldn't understand how this girl could be so fast. Haruka had always prided herself on her speed, but even as a Senshi she wasn't sure she could match what Ranma had just done. It just wasn't possible for someone to be that fast!

"It's over," declared Ranma firmly. "I told you that you wouldn't stand a chance if you didn't transform. Don't worry too much about it, though. Even if you did, you still couldn't win. It would just make things more interesting."

Waves of molten anger roared through Haruka, washing away her shock. She was reaching for her henshin wand before she realized what she was doing. If she transformed she could show this cocky little girl just how wrong she was. If she transformed she would be able to reclaim her trampled pride. If she transformed, the secret she had been entrusted with would be revealed to the entire world.

There was nothing she could do. Ranma was right. The fight was over.

Picking herself up off the ground, Haruka brushed herself off. She had never been overly concerned about matters of modesty, so the fact that her open shirt was showing her bra—and she did wear a bra despite rumors to the contrary—off to the entire world didn't bother her much. It did seem to bother Ranma a bit though. The redhead averted her gaze, keeping Haruka just in the corner of her eye. 

"You win," conceded Haruka in a voice loud enough to carry to the entire crowd. The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. "We haven't finished this though. There will be another time, another place, and another fight. Next time I'll be _fully_ prepared."

Ranma opened her mouth to reply with something scathing and arrogant, but she was cut off by a frightened shout. Everyone turned to see what was wrong. The students at one end of the area were pushing back away from a shimmering green circle that had suddenly appeared floating a few inches off of the ground. Most of those gathered didn't know what the thing was nor did they care to stick around to find out. Over the last few years they had learned that it was always best to get far, far away from anything out of the ordinary. They did just that now, running panicked in every direction amidst a tumult of screams and shouts.

Not everyone ran, though. Ranma, Usagi, Haruka, and the other Senshi stuck around, though they moved away from the object of distress just in case it was radioactive or decided to blow up or something. Nabiki stayed nearby as well, moving just far enough away so that she could observe what was happening and feel safe doing so. She also made sure to keep a careful eye on those that owed her money.

While Ranma, Usagi, and Nabiki were all in the dark as to what the green circle was, the others recognized it immediately. It was a portal just like the one that had carried away their attackers the other night. They also recognized the armored figure that stepped out of the portal. 

So did Ranma.

"Ucchan?" she whispered in a stunned voice.


End file.
